DUKE  UNIVERSITY 


LIBRARY 


The  Glenn  Negley  Collection 
of  Utopian  Literature 


JifA^  ^ 


A  NEW 


ARISTOCRACY. 


"BIRCH     ARNOLD," 

Author  of  "  Until  the  Daybreak." 


BARTLETT  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 

New  York  :  30  and  32  West  Thirteenth  St. 
Detroit,  Mich.:  44  West  Larned  St. 


1891. 


COPYRIGHT   BY  AUTHOR. 


Electrotyped  and  printed  by 

THE   publishers'    PRINTING   COMPANY 

30  &   32   WEST   13TH    STREET 

NEW    YORK 


C^^' 


"  Talk  about  questions  of  the  day.  There  is  but  one 
question  and  that  is  the  Gospel.  It  can  and  will  correct 
everything  that  needs  correction.  ,  .  .  My  only  hope  for 
the  world  is  in  bringing  the  human  mind  into  contact  with 
Divine  Revelation. 

"Wm.  E.  Gladstone," 


INTRODUCTION. 


"  Write  ye  for  art,"  the  critics  cry, 
"  And  give  your  best  endeavor. 
That  down  the  aisles  of  length'ning  time 
Your  fame  may  speed  forever!  " 

"Write  ye  for  truth,"  my  heart  replies, 
"And  prove  that  generous  giving, 
May  help  some  blinded  eyes  to  find 
The  noblest  way  of  living." 

The  simple  story,  plainly  told. 
May  bear  its  own  conviction. 

And  words  alive  with  buoyant  hope 
May  supersede  their  diction. 

Give  me  the  horny-handed  clasp 
Of  some  good  honest  neighbor. 

Who  finds  within  the  words  I  speak 
A  strength  for  earnest  labor. 

Give  me  the  lifted,  grateful  smile 
Of  some  poor  fainting  woman, 

Who  knows  that  I  regard  her  soul 
As  somethino;  dear  and  human. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Give  me  the  fervent,  heartfelt  prayer 

Of  just  the  toiling  masses; 
To  be  remembered  with  their  love 

Your  boasted  art  surpasses. 

And  this  be  mine,  whate'er  the  fault 

Of  manner,  not  of  matter, 
Along  the  rocky  ways  of  life 

Some  living  truths  to  scatter. 

Birch  Arnold. 


A   NEW    ARISTOCRACY. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Mr.  Murchison  was  dead.  The  villagers  an- 
nounced the  fact  to  each  other  with  bated  breath  as 
they  gazed  with  reverent  awe  at  the  crape  on  the  door. 

"  Poor  man,"  they  sighed,  vaguely  sympathetic ;  "  it's 
well  enough  with  him  now,  but  there's  the  children." 

*'Ay,  there's  the  children,"  more  than  one  respond- 
ed feelingly. 

Mr.  Murchison  had  been  the  rector  of  the  small 
parish  of    Barnley,  distant  perhaps    a  hundred  miles 

from  the  city  of  C ,  the  great  commercial  center  of 

the  West,  and  having  attended  faithfully  to  his  duties 
for  a  series  of  years,  had  been  stricken  at  last  with  the 
dread  pangs  of  consumption.  Two  years  of  painful 
waiting  had  passed  away,  and  now  the  release  had 
come.  Devout,  patient,  and  faithful,  who  could  doubt 
that  it  was  well  with  him  ? 

"  God  tempers  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb,"  trem- 
blingly spoke  the  clergyman  who  had  been  summoned 
to  conduct  the  burial  service.  "  Surely  He  will  so 
influence  the  hearts  of  His  people  that  these  bereft 
ones,  these  fatherless  and  motherless  children,  shall  not 


8  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

suffer  from  contact  with  the  cold  and  bitter  side  of 
Hfe." 

Comforting  words  truly,;  words  that  fell,  as  rain 
falls  on  parched  fields,  upon  the  benumbed  senses  of 
those  who  wept  for  their  dead ;  w^ords  that  touched 
the  hearts  of  the  little  band  of  parishioners,  and  made 
each  one  wonder  for  the  time  being  what  he  could  do 
for  them ;  words  that  resulted  in  offerings  of  flowers 
and  fruit  for  one  week  and — so  soon  do  good  impulses 
die — in  comment  and  unsought  advice  for  another. 

It  was  a  well-known  fact  that  aside  from  his  library 
and  household  belongings  Mr.  Murchison  had  left 
nothing.  A  student  and  a  biblist  of  rare  discernment, 
he  was  happiest  when  deep  in  abstruse  research,  and 
many  a  dollar  of  his  meagre  salary  had  gone  for  vol- 
umes whose  undoubted  antiquity  might  help  him  to 
the  completion  of  some  vexed  problem.  Sometimes, 
looking  up  from  his  treatise  or  his  sermon,  he  would 
glance  at  Margaret,  his  eldest  daughter  and  careful 
housekeeper  for  the  last  five  lonely  years  of  his  life, 
and  think  painfully  of  the  time,  the  dread  sometime, 
that  was  sure  to  leave  his  darlings  unprotected.  He 
wished,  good  man,  that  he  miight  have  money;  not 
that  he  coveted  the  dross  of  earth,  but  that  it  might 
be  the  Lord's  will  to  shield  his  loved  ones  from  con- 
tact with  bleak  and  bitter  poverty.  Many  a  prayer 
Avas  rounded  with  that  earnest  supplication,  to  which 
he  supplemented,  always  in  complete  resignation,  "  Thy 
will,  not  mine,  be  done."  But  he  never  saw  the 
earthly  realization  of  his  hopes.  He  always  grew 
poorer;    his  clothing  just  a  trifle  shabbier,  the  table  a 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  9 

little  plainer,  and  Margaret  daily  more  and  more  put 
to  her  wit's  ends  in  the  difficult  problem  of  making 
something  out  of  nothing.  But  who  shall  say  the 
faith  of  a  life-time  met  with  no  recompense  ?  Who  can 
declare,  with  certainty,  the  blinded  eyes  saw  not  after- 
ward with  clearer  vision  that  he  had  left  each  of  his 
darlings  God's  highest  riches,  a  brave  human  intelli- 
gence ? 

Margaret  Murchison,  the  eldest  of  the  three  chil- 
dren, was  too  strongly  built,  physically  and  mentally, 
to  be  beautiful.  It  is  indisputably  true  that  where 
nature  puts  strength  she  also  puts  hard  lines,  and  every 
feature  of  Margaret's  face  bespoke  the  positive  nature; 
quick  to  comprehend  and  fearless  to  execute.  Yet 
hers  was  by  no  means  a  masculine  or  an  ugly  face. 
Though  strongly  m.arked,  there  was  still  an  indefinable 
attraction  in  the  warm  depths  of  her  blue  eyes  and 
the  smile  of  her  mobile  and  sympathetic  mouth.  She 
was,  withal,  strangely  wholesome  to  look  upon ;  one 
of  those  rare  beings,  as  it  came  afterward  to  be  said 
of  her,  whose  faces  rest  you  as  calm  waters  and  green 
fields  rest  eyes  that  are  blinded  with  the  dust  and  tur- 
moil of  the  city's  streets.  In  figure  she  was  tall,  with 
that  breadth  of  shoulder  and  hip  which  indicates  en- 
durance, free  and  graceful  in  her  movements,  apt  in 
her  utterances,  and  unusually  keen  in  her  intuitions. 
At  the  time  of  her  father's  death  she  Vv^as  twenty-four 
years  of  age,  thoughtful  even  beyond  her  years.  Hers 
had  been  a  hard  school.  Poverty  prematurely  sharpens 
wits  and  generates  ambition,  and  ever  since  her  earliest 
recollection  she  had  witnessed  the  daily  pinchings  and 


lO  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

privations  of  stern  necessity.  Questioning  often  with 
wondering  eyes  and  grave  thought,  she  had  early 
learned  to  strive  against  this  oppressor  of  her  house- 
hold;  but  the  best  of  effort  had  only  kept  the  lean 
wolf  of  hunger  from  the  door.  The  father,  wedded  to 
abstruse  speculation  and  erudite  research,  had  not  that 
talent  for  money-getting  which  is  expected  of  the 
"working  parsons  "  of  country  villages;  and  though 
the  mother  had  been  possessed  of  uncommon  tact, 
meagreness  in  every  detail  of  Margaret's  physical 
growth  had  always  confronted  her.  Not  so  intellect- 
ually, however.  The  bond  of  sympathy  between 
parents  and  children  had  always  been  strong,  and  in 
the  communion  of  thought  the  barren  home  life  was 
lifted  into  realms  of  peace  and  plenty.  Nobody  re- 
membered how  Margaret  learned  to  read.  The  faculty 
seemed  to  come  with  her  growth,  like  her  teeth,  and 
almost  as  soon  as  she  had  mastered  the  rudiments  of 
reading,  her  father  delighted  to  feed  the  grave  little 
head  with  as  m.uch  of  the  mental  pabulum  upon  which 
he  feasted  as  the  infantile  brain  could  digest.  Her 
capacity  proved  something  like  that  of  the  sponge, 
growing  receptive  in  proportion  as  it  was  fed,  and 
when  at  eighteen  she  was  vouchsafed  a  year  of  school 
life  at  a  church  institution,  she  astonished  both  faculty 
and  pupils  by  disclosing  such  an  odd  mixture  of 
knowledge  as  no  other  pupil  had  ever  brought  to  the 
school.  Latin  and  Greek  were  far  more  familiar  to 
her  than  fractions,  and  the  geography  of  the  Holy 
Land  an  open  page  beside  the  study  of  her  own  state 
and  its  form   of  government.     Her  aptitude   for  Ian- 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  II 

guage  was  wonderful,  and  her  ability  for  philosophical 
reasoning  much  beyond  her  years.  She  achieved  mar- 
vels of  learning  in  the  one  short  year,  only  at  its  ex- 
piration to  be  called  away  by  the  sad  announcement 
of  her  mother's  mortal  sickness.  She  reached  home 
in  time  to  comfort  the  anxious  heart  with  the  promise 
to  keep  always  a  home  for  the  loved  ones  left  behind. 
For  five  years  she  had  faithfully  fulfilled  this  promise, 
and  now  death  had  come  again  to  take  her  last  and 
only  support.  In  the  moment  of  her  bereavement  she 
did  not  realize  how  largely  she  had  been  not  only  self- 
dependent,  but  had  been  the  mainstay  of  the  little 
household.  Love  makes  even  the  strongest  natures 
yield  to  its  silken  leading-strings,  and  the  tie  between 
father  and  daughter  had  been  no  common  one.  But 
it  was  she  who  had  been  the  prop  that  upheld  the 
fabric  of  his  life  in  these  weary  later  years.  It  was 
on  her  brave  heart  he  had  leaned  more  and  more ;  but 
she  had  no  thought  of  what  she  had  given.  She  had 
received,  ah!  who  shall  count  the  memories  and 
pledges  that  loyal  love  has  in  its  keeping  ? 

But  the  prosaic  side  of  life  confronted  Margaret  one 
morning  a  week  after  she  had  laid  her  dead  away,  and 
roused  her  from  the  apathy  of  grief  that  follows  even 
the  wildest  tempest  of  tears. 

"  Not  even  time  to  mourn,"  she  said  wearily. 
"Death  comes;  but  life  goes  on,  and  it  must  beefed 
and  comforted.  I  must  work  to  drive  the  cobwebs 
from  my  brain  and  this  strange  inertia  from  my  limbs. 
Something  to  do,  some  duty  that  must  not  be  evaded, 
will  heal  and  strengthen  anew." 


12  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

These  reflections  had  been  induced  by  a  visit  Mar- 
garet had  just  received  from  one  of  the  vestrymen  of 
the  church  at  Barnley,  who  had  called  with  words  of 
condolence  and  inquiry.  He  desired  to  know,  if  it 
was  not  impertinent,  what  course  Miss  Murchison  had 
decided  upon  relative  to  her  future  and  her  family. 

''  I  have  made  no  decision  as  yet,"  answered  Mar- 
garet wearily;  "I  have  been  too  absorbed  in  other 
things.     Why  do  you  ask,  Mr.  Dempster?" 

"  Well — ahem ! — my  wife  and  I  had  a  talk  about 
your — your  prospects,  and  we  thought  that  if — if — 
that  is,  we  would  like  to  help  you,  seein'  as  you're  one 
of  our  pastor's  family." 

"You  are  very  kind,"  said  Margaret  gently. 

'' Well,  you  see,"  began  Mr.  Dempster  hurriedly, 
"  we've  always  kind  o'  liked  your  folks,  and  my  wife 
and  I  was  sayin'  that  seein'  as  you'd  be  pretty  likely 
to  have  a  hard  time,  we'd  like  to  help  you  out  a  bit. 
Now,  there's  Elsie:  she's  young,  you  know,  and  real 
bright  and  smart,  and  we  thought  maybe  you'd  be 
willin'  we  should  take  her  and  bring  her  up.  She'd 
have  a  fust-rate  home,  you  know." 

"  Mr.  Dempster,"  said  Margaret,  ignoring  the  half- 
boastful  tone  in  which  the  last  assertion  had  been 
made,  "  do  you  think  I  could  give  away  one  of  these 
children  over  vv^hom  I've  watched  for  five  years,  and 
whom  I  promised  never  to  leave  as  long  as  they  needed 
a  home  ?  No,  sir.  My  life  has  been  hard,  as  you  say ; 
it  may  be  harder  yet ;  but  as  long  as  I  have  life  and 
health  I  shall  keep  my  promise.  Besides,  you  forget 
that  Elsie  has  not  yet  finished  school." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 3 

''  I  know ;  but  they  was  a-talkin'  it  over  in  the  vestry 
last  evenin',  and  they  said  they  didn't  see  as  you  could 
afford  to  keep  the  children  in  school  any  more,  as 
your  father's  salary  is,  of  course,  discontinued.  You 
see,  it  takes  money  for  clothes  and  incidentals." 

"  I  am  fully  aware  of  that  fact,  but  I  have  strong 
hands  and  a  stout  heart ;  because  we  are  poor  and  cast 
down  now,  I  see  no  reason  why  we  should  always  be 
so.     Do  you,  Mr.  Dempster?" 

'*  No,  no,  of  course  not,"  hastily  asented  Mr.  Demp- 
ster. 

"  Is  it  the  opinion  of  the  vestry  that  Elsie  and 
Gilbert  need  no  further  education  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no.  They  was  only  a-sayin',  as  they  was  talkin' 
about  ways  and  means,  that  if  you  couldn't  take  care 
of  'em  we — that's  Mr.  Dodd  and  me — would  take  'em 
off  your  hands." 

"  I've  no  doubt  that  you  meant  kindly  ;  but  I  intend 
to  teach  them  to  take  care  of  themselves,  and  there 
is  no  care  equal  to  that.  The  parish  of  Barnley  has 
been  very  kind ;  but  I  assure  you,  sir,  there  is  no  hap- 
piness like  being  independent,  and  that,  with  God's 
help,  I  mean  to  teach  my  brother  and  sister  to  be." 

"Then  you  mean  to  say  you  refuse  our  offers  of 
help,  Miss  Murchison  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dempster,  bristling  a 
little. 

"  Not  at  all.  Indeed,  I  shall  be  glad  of  any  assist- 
ance you  can  give  me  in  the  way  of  work.  You  know 
before  my  father's  health  failed  I  used  to  make  your 
wife's  dresses.  I'm  a  little  out  of  practice  now,  but 
I  think  I  could  soon  get  back  the  old  deftness." 


14  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"Why — yes — but   Mrs.   Dempster   sends   to   C 

now  for  her  work.  She  says  she  gets  better  styles, 
and  takin'  all  things  into  consideration,  it  don't  cost 
such  a  dreadful  sight  more." 

Margaret  smiled  involuntarily.  She  knew  how  the 
Dempsters,  from  greatest  to  least,  counted  the  cost 
of  everything,  and  she  knew  the  offer  to  take  Elsie — 
dear,  sunny-hearted  Elsie — off  her  hands  had  not  been 
so  much  a  question  of  philanthropy  as  gain.  Could 
she  so  have  disposed  her  heart  as  to  give  Elsie  away, 
the  bare  thought  of  the  drudgery  which  would  have 
been  her  portion  as  maidof-all-work  in  that  household 
would  have  been  sufficient  to  deter  her. 

"Well,  I  must  be  goin',''  said  Mr.  Dempster  as 
Margaret  rem.ained  silent.  "  You  know  they've  hired 
a  new  parson  and  he  will  be  here  this  week,"  he  added 
from  the  doorway. 

"  So  soon  !  "  exclaimed  Margaret  with  a  start.  "  And 
— and — you  will  want  the  parsonage  right  away  ?  " 

"  Well,  there  ain't  no  particular  hurry,  I  suppose ; 
but  the  folks  thought  it  best  to  give  you  a  week's 
notice  to  quit,"  and  having  delivered  this  parting  shot, 
Mr.  Dempster  said  "  good-day "  hastily  and  walked 
out  of  the  gate. 

So  soon!  so  soon!  to  leave  the  dear  home  that 
spoke  so  tenderly  of  those  who  had  gone  away!  To 
leave  the  cozy  corner  where  stood  her  mother's  arm- 
chair, as  it  had  stood  for  years,  often  bringing  its 
memories  of  the  sweet  face  and  gentle  hands  which 
had  presided  over  the  hearthstone  so  long  ago.  To 
leave  the  sacred  room  where  stood  her  father's  desk, 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  I  5 

from  which  not  a  paper  had  been  removed  since  the 
nerveless  hand  had  dropped  the  pen  in  the  midst  of  a 
sentence  of  his  last  sermon ;  the  room  where  stood  his 
well-filled  book-cases  and  his  shabby  furniture,  and 
go — where— oh,  where  ?  asked  Margaret's  heart  in 
utter  anguish.  She  grew  suddenly  weak  with  the  rush 
of  memory  and  regret,  and  slipped  down  upon  the 
floor  in  an  abandon  of  grief. 

The  outer  door  swept  open  and  a  young  girl,  enter- 
ing hastily,  cried  sharply  as  she  knelt  beside  the  pros- 
trate form :  ''  O  Meg !  dear,  brave  Meg !  what  has 
happened  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  Elsie  dear.  I  have  only  been  bewildered 
of  late,  and  had  forgotten  that  this  is  no  longer  home." 

''  Must  we  leave  soon  ?  " 

"Within  a  week." 

"  It  is  sudden ;  but  I  knew  it  must  come  sooner  or 
later.  I  am  not  sorry,  either,  Meg;  for  we  will  go  out 
into  the  world  to  work  for  each  other  and  make  a 
new  home." 

Meg  shook  her  head.  *'  You  are  brave,  Elsie,  with 
the  ignorance  of  youth.  You  do  not  know  what  gulfs 
lie  between  your  hope  and  its  accomplishment.  While 
I " 

''You,  Meg,"  interrupted  Elsie,  ''are  wearied  with 
the  weight  of  your  burdens,  and  I  must  take  them  off 
your  shoulders  and  rest  you  good  and  long." 

"Oh,  confident  youth!  What  a  sweet  comfort  this 
little  rose  is  to  me,"  and  Margaret  took  the  bright 
face  between  her  hands  and  kissed  it  fondly.  It  was 
a  rose  indeed  that  Margaret  raised  to  her  lips.     Bril- 


l6  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

liant  with  the  rich  coloring  of  the  brunette,  lit  up  by 
a  pair  of  dark  velvety  eyes,  a  full,  red-lipped,  delicately- 
curved  mouth,  and  framed  in  a  mass  of  black,  lustrous, 
curling  hair,  Elsie's  face  was  undeniably  beautiful. 
Somewhat  petite  in  form,  she  was  the  embodiment  of 
grace  in  every  movement.  Naturally  hopeful  and 
sweet-tempered,  she  had  been  all  her  life  a  source  of 
comfort  to  Margaret.  If  she  felt  that  she  had  greater 
patience,  she  found  encouragement  in  Elsie's  greater 
hopefulness.  If  she  felt  in  herself  greater  power  to 
conquer  adverse  circumstances,  she  relied  equally  upon 
Elsie's  faculty  of  throwing  the  best  light  upon  every- 
thing, and  taking  trouble  as  little  to  heart  as  possible. 
Unlike,  yet  like.  Margaret's  strength  was  born  of 
conviction  and  experience,  and  duty,  her  imperial  mis- 
tress, held  her  firmly  to  her  course.  Elsie's  courage 
and  cheerfulness  were  as  inherent  a  part  of  herself  as 
her  ripp-ling  black  hair  or  her  daintily-fashioned  foot, 
and  love  was  the  governing  impulse  of  her  life.  She 
would  do  for  love's  sake  what  no  amount  of  cogent 
reasoning  could  convince  her  ought  to  be  done  for 
duty's.  She  "hated  the  name  of  duty,"  she  had  been 
heard  to  declare  with  an  imperious  stamp  of  her  little 
foot. 

"  If  one  was  good,  because  love  prompted  her  to  do 
all  these  nice  things  for  other  people,  wasn't  that 
enough  ?  And  as  for  '  doing  good  to  those  who  de- 
spitefully  use  you,'  she  believed  the  Lord  wasn't  very 
angry  if  you  only  just  didn't  do  them  any  harm ! 
And  she  felt  sure  that  He  would  forgive  her  if  she 
couldnt  and  zvo2ildnt  like  the  Dempsters." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  If 

All  this  had  happened  long  ago,  and  now  it  came 
back  to  them  as  Meg  told  Elsie  of  Mr.  Dempster's  offer. 

''  The  old — gentleman  !  "  exclaimed  Elsie  as  Mar- 
garet glanced  up  apprehensively.  ''  I  was  only  going 
to  say  '  heathen,'  anyway,"  she  added  mischievously. 
"  Do  you  think  it  is  my  duty,  Meg,  to  accept  the  offer, 
and  learn  under  their  guidance  to  be  a  meek  and  quiet 
Christian  ?  " 

''  My  poor  Elsie,  you  will  never  be  a  meek  Chris- 
tian, I  am  sure.  Let  us  hope  Mr.  Dempster  meant 
well,  and  so  forget  all  about  it." 

''With  all  my  heart,  since  I  am  not  going  to  him. 
So  long  as  my  dear  old  Meg  commands  I  obey.  He 
needn't  have  troubled  himself  about  the  school,  for  I 
don't  intend  to  go  back." 

''  Indeed  you  must.  I  shall  write  to  Dr.  Ely  to-day 
and  ask  a  place  for  you  and  Gilbert.  You  know  what 
our  prospects  are,  dear,  that  it  must  be  head  and  hands 
for  each  of  us,  and  it  behooves  us  to  put  as  much  into 
our  heads  as  time  and  circumstance  will  allow." 

"  And  you,  dear  ?  "  asked  Elsie  wistfully. 

"  I  shall  find  something  for  my  hands  to  do.  They 
are  good  strong  hands,  and  they  must  put  bread  into 
that  little  mouth." 

"What  can  your  hands  find  to  do  here  ?  There  is 
nothing  better  than  sewing  or  dish-washing.  You  are 
fitted  for  better  work." 

"  I  hope  I  am ;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  I  must 
refuse  to  do  what  I  can  find  to  do,  because  I  cannot 
find  what  I  want.  If  nothing  better  offers  I  shall  even 
try  the  dish-washing." 


1 8  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

*' O  Meg!    I  couldn't  bear  to  see  you  so  lowered." 

"  You  misuse  the  word,  Elsie.  I  should  feel  that  I 
lowered  myself  more  in  refusing  the  work  at  hand,  in 
the  vain  hope  of  finding  something  pleasing  and  gen- 
teel. Dear  little  girl,  your  solemn  old  Meg  wants  to 
disclose  to  you  the  prosaic  rule  by  which  she  means 
to  measure  her  life.  It  will  seem  dry  and  hard  to  you 
in  your  youth  and  bloom ;  but  you  must  learn  some 
time,  and  if  the  bitter  tonic  is  taken  early  nothing 
seems  quite  so  bitter  afterward.     Shall  I  tell  you  ?  " 

*'Y-yes,"  answered  Elsie  hesitatingly,  ''only  — 
only " 

"  I  know.  You  dislike  even  to  be  told  that  life  is 
uncompromising.  Well,  then,  we'll  say  no  more  about 
it.     I  see  I  cannot  learn  for  you." 

"  It  is  not  that,"  exclaimed  Elsie.  "  I  am  only  just 
beginning  to  see  how  you  had  to  forego  your  youth 
and  bloom  to  learn  for  all  of  us.  Tell  me  all  about  it, 
and  teach  me  to  be  your  helper.  I  am  such  a  lover 
of  pleasure,  I  never  can  be  strong  like  you.  Tell  me 
how  you  learned  it,  Meg." 

"  I  did  not  learn  to  be  less  than  happy.  I  only 
learned  to  do  ^vell  what  lay  nearest  me,  and  in  that 
there  is  happiness.  There  is  the  whole  dread  secret. 
Rosebud,  and  if  you  want  me  to  be  epigrammatic  and 
terse  here  is  the  formula :  Aim  high ;  mind  is  the 
greatest  of  God's  forces.  Be  honest ;  a  clean  con- 
science is  the  best  bed-fellow  at  night.  Do  cheerfully 
what  lies  nearest  you ;  fortune  surprises  the  faithful." 

'' Diogenes  in  petticoats!"  exclaimed  Elsie,  all  her 
cheerfulness    returning.     "  Make    a    dictionary,    Meg, 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 9 

on  the  plan  that  A  stands  for  Apple,  and  Gilbert  and 
I  will  not  need  to  go  to  school." 

*'  No,  I've  tried  philosophy  enough  on  you ;  you 
laugh  at  it." 

**  Not  for  worlds!  Trust  me,  Meg,  to  learn  it  all 
somewhere  on  the  road  to  threescore  and  ten.  It  is  a 
'  sair '  lesson  for  one  of  my  temperament ;  but  if  it 
*  maun  be  '  it  '  maun  be.'  " 

'*  I  hope  your  prosy  Meg  may  live  long  enough  to 
see  you  safely  conning  it ;  for  I  feel  as  if  I  were  born  to 
keep  your  wings  from  singeing." 

"  What  a  heroine  you  are,  Margaret  Murchison ! 
I  am  fain  to  fall  at  your  feet  and  worship  you." 

"  That  Avould  be  foolish.  Wait  to  see  at  least  how  I 
bear  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day.  You  may  have 
to  reverse  your  opinion." 

"Never!  Even  if  you  sit  with  idle  hands  the  rest 
of  your  days.  But  to  go  back  to  our  muttons.  What 
are  we  to  do  ?  " 

"  Write  to  Dr.  Ely,"  answered  Meg,  rising  to  her 
feet.     '*  Bring  me  my  writing-desk,  Elsie." 

^'  On  one  condition,"  said  Elsie,  placing  a  hand  on 
either  side  of  Meg's  face  and  looking  pleadingly  up 
into  her  eyes :  ''  write  please  for  Gilbert.  Let  me  stay 
with  you." 

"  No,  Elsie.  Education  will  be  worth  everything  to 
you.     You  cannot  be  successful  without  it." 

*'  Then  teach  me  yourself.  Dr.  Ely  said  you  had  a 
wonderful  mind." 

"  Good  friable  soil  for  seed  ;  nothing  more.  I  have 
but    a    handful    of    knowledge    and    that  would    soon 


20  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

be  exhausted.  I  cannot  consent  to  your  leaving 
school." 

"  I'll  not  /eaz'e — I'll  never  go  back,"  said  stubborn 
Elsie.  "  Don't  look  so  reproachful!  This  much  I  am 
decided  upon  :  while  you  drudge  I  drudge,  so  that's 
said,  and  I  isn't  a-gwine  to  unsaid  it,  nuther,"  she  added 
roguishly,  imitating  the  negro  dialect  and  attitude. 

''Obstinate  little  girl!  I  perceive  I  must  bring  my 
desk  myself." 

"  No,  no,  Meg,"  and  Elsie  sprang  to  the  door. 
''  Only  promise!  " 

*'  It  is  your  good  I  seek,  child." 

"  I  know  it;  but  let  m.e  be  unselfish  this  once.  It 
may  be  my  only  chance  of  redemption." 

''You  shall  have  your  way,"  said  Margaret  with 
eyes  suffused  with  tears. 

"  Dear,  good  Meg,"  exclaimed  impulsive  Elsie, 
throwing  her  arms  round  her  sister's  neck.  "  We'll 
cling  together.  You  shall  be  the  oak  to  hold  me  up, 
and  I'll  be  the  ivy  to  keep  you  warm— and  green!  " 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  21 


CHAPTER  II. 

"  Meg,  I've  an  idea!  "  exclaimed  Elsie  several  morn- 
ings later,  as  Margaret  returned  from  an  unsuccessful 
search  for  a  house,  as  well  as  work  at  the  hands  of 
Mrs.  Dempster  and  several  other  ladies  of  the  parish. 

''I'm  glad  to  hear  it.  Ideas  are  good  things  to 
have,"  said  Margaret,  wearily  dropping  into  a  chair. 

"Of  course  you  haven't  found  work,  or  anything 
else  but  advice,  have  you  ?  Well,  this  is  my  idea  :  let 
us  go  away  from  Barnley." 

"O  Elsie!" 

"  I  know  it's  hard  ;  but  we'll  starve  on  advice.  It's 
cheaper  than  beefsteak,  of  course;  but  it  is  somewhat 
weakening  after  one  has  breakfasted,  dined,  and 
supped  on  it.  Let's  go  away  and  dig  for  a  living.  See 
what  I  found  this  morning,"  and  Elsie  drew  from  her 
pocket  a  newspaper  clipping  of  late  date,  and  read 
aloud  an  advertisement : 

''For  Rent:  A  small  house  at  Idlewild,  with  three 
acres  of  ground  well  supplied  with  small  fruits.  Only 
thirty  minutes'  ride  on  dummy  to  city  market.  Rent 
cheap,  or  will  sell  at  reasonable  price.  Call  at  Harris 
&  Smith's,  cor.  Vine  and  Tenth  Sts.,  C ." 

"  Meg,  let's  go  and  see  it." 

"Why,  Elsie,  child,  how  is  it  possible?" 


22  A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY. 

''This  way.  Maybe  I'm  visionary,  but  I've  an  idea 
that  we  can  make  enough  money  out  of  the  place  to 
pay  the  rent  and  keep  us.  See  here :  '  only  thirty 
minutes'  ride  on  dummy  to  city  market.'  Now,  three 
acres  of  ground,  if  good  for  anything,  ought  to  raise 
potatoes." 

''  Admitted.     Go  on  with  your  proposition." 

"  Potatoes  zui//i  salt  constitute  a  very  fair  living  for 
a  hungry  man  ;  witJioiit  salt  they  keep  starve  to  death 
away — ergo,  let's  plant  potatoes!  To  be  serious — 
I've  thought  of  this.  It  is  now  February,  and  we'll 
need  to  make  haste.  We've  raised  our  own  potatoes 
in  the  parsonage  garden  for  years,  and  good  ones,  too. 
Why  not  raise  double  the  quantity  somewhere  else 
and  sell  the  surplus  ?  The  small  fruits  advertised  may 
be  worth  cultivating,  too.  You  are  a  splendid  amateur 
gardener — everybody  says  so  ;  and  there's  Gilbert — to 
be  sure,  only  a  boy ;  but  a  boy  is  good  for  some  things 
sometimes — and  I  consider  myself  capable  of  being 
taught.  Now,  I've  sketched  the  outlines  of  Eutopia, 
and  you  must  fill  in  the  shading." 

''  Outlines  are  easily  drawn ;  the  skill  lies  in  the 
filling  in." 

"  Therefore  I  left  it  for  you.  I  feel  as  if  we  might 
dig  our  living  out  of  the  soil  easier  than  out  of  the 
oftentimes  ungracious  favor  of  humanity.  Suppose 
we  look  this  place  up  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  see  miy  way  clear  yet.  Where  is  all  the 
money  to  come  from  to  start  us  in  this  venture  ?  It 
takes  money  for  spades,  you  know." 

*'  I  realize  it.     Can't  we  sell  something  ?  " 


A    NKW   ARISTOCRACY.  23 

''  What -our  old  clothes  ?  " 

"  To  the  rag-man  perhaps.  Seriously,  have  we 
nothing  of  value  we  can  spare  ?  " 

"  I  can  think  of  nothing." 

''  I  can.  O  Meg,  the  hardest  part  of  my  suggestion 
is  yet  to  come.  Dr.  Ely  said  when  I  named  some  of 
the  books  in  poor  father's  library  that  they  were  of 
undoubted  value,  as  many  were  out  of  print.  He 
spoke  especially  of  the  two  Caxton  copies,  Plantin's 
*  Biblia  Polyglotta,'  and  Sparks'  '  Life  of  Washing- 
ton.* Dear  Meg,  the  question  is :  Shall  we  keep  our 
treasures  and  starve,  or  in  letting  them  go  find  a  chance 
of  outgrowing  our  poverty  ?  T  am  tired  of  this  grind- 
ing life  that  takes  the  color  out  of  your  cheeks  and 
puts  wrinkles  where  dimples  ought  to  be.  Much  as  I 
love  the  dear  old  books,  I  love  hope  for  you  and  for 
all  of  us  better.  O  Meg!  it  is  no  sacrilege  to  say 
that  if  our  father  could  speak  to  us  he  would  tell  us 
to  sell  them.  The  heritage  is  precious ;  how  precious 
to  us  few  can  guess.  But,  my  sweet  sister,  your  hopes 
and  happiness  are  dearer  to  him,  I  know.  Don't  sob 
so,  Meg;  you  will  break  my  heart.  Forgive  me  for 
suggesting  it.     It  really  seems  best." 

"  I  know  it.  Rosebud,"  said  Margaret  after  a  long 
silence.  "  I  must  think  about  it.  I  cannot  decide 
yet." 

As  Margaret  spoke  she  raised  Elsie's  tearful  face 
and  kissed  it  tenderly.  It  was  more  difificult  for  Mar- 
garet to  give  up  the  books  than  Elsie  had  dreamed. 
They  were  not  to  her,  as  to  Margaret,  the  great  mine 
of  wealth  from  which  she  had  drawn  the  intellectual 


24  A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY. 

riches  that  were  already  hers,  and  from  which  she  had 
hoped  to  glean  a  far  greater  abundance.  Dear  as  they 
were  for  the  associations'  sake,  many  of  them  having 
been  successively  her  grandfather's  and  father's,  and 
hallowed  as  they  were  by  the  thought  of  the  dear  eyes 
which  had  once  delighted  in  their  pages,  this  relinquish- 
ment of  her  ambitions  seemed  the  most  cruel  hurt  of 
all.  She  knew  that  Elsie's  suggestion  was  practicable ; 
that  it  opened  a  way  out  of  their  present  difficulties; 
but  it  was  the  slipping  of  the  cable  that  bound  her  to 
the  old  life  which,  despite  its  hardships,  had  seemed  so 
idyllic  in  its  visions  and  mental  attainments.  If  she 
gave  up  her  books,  what  could  she  hope  for  beyond 
the  barren  drudgery  of  mere  existence  ?  With  her 
books  she  could  revel  in  an  ideal  world  v.here  the  hard 
facts  of  her  daily  struggles  could  not  intrude.  They 
were  indeed  a  heaven  of  remembrance  and  a  heaven 
of  hope  to  her.  Where,  oh,  where  else  could  she  find 
the  oasis  of  rest,  the  one  little  gleam  of  personal  hap- 
piness which  she  had  hoped  might  be  allowed  her  ? 
And  yet  duty,  even  from  the  mouth  of  Elsie,  whom 
she  had  hitherto  regarded  as  a  mere  child,  said  all  too 
plainly  that  the  cherished  books  must  go.  There 
seemed  to  be  no  other  solution  of  the  vexed  question 
of  subsistence.  It  was  a  very  pale  face  that  Margaret 
raised  to  Elsie's  anxious  glance  several  moments  later; 
but  it  Avas  determined  and  calm. 

*' You  are  right,  Elsie;  you  excel  me  in  practicability 
even  now.     I  will  write  at  once  to  Dr.  Ely." 

"  Meg,   I  was  cruel  to  you." 

''As  facts  are  sometimes  cruel.     Now  let  us  cata- 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  25 

logLie   the   books,  that   Dr.  Ely   may  judge  of  them. 
Not  another  tear,  Rosebud,  but  forward." 

A  reassuring  smile  and  a  fond  kiss  calmed  the  rising 
storm  of  regret  in  Elsie's  heart.  With  protean  quick- 
ness the  smile  so  natural  to  her  face  came  back,  and 
hastily  mounting  the  small  step-ladder,  she  took  down 
the  books  and  gave  title,  name  of  author,  and  date  of 
issue  to  Margaret  to  jot  down.  There  w^ere  perhaps 
some  eight  hundred  books,  of  which  only  a  small  por- 
tion would  in  these  days  of  reprints  possess  an  un- 
usual interest  for  the  bibliophilist.  Among  the  latter 
were :  Smellie's  ''  Philosophy ;  "  Plantin's  "  Biblia  Poly- 
glotta  "  in  eight  folio  volumes,  published  in  the  sixteenth 
century;  Dunton's ''Life  and  Errors,"  1659-1733;  Cax- 
ton's  books,  mostly  translations  from  the  French; 
Nicholl's  "  Literary  Anecdotes ;  "  Sotheby's  "  Handwrit- 
ing of  Melancthon  and  Luther;"  Davy's  "System  of 
Divinity,"  twenty-six  volumes  ;  Dolby's  "Shakespearean 
Dictionary ;  "  Ainsworth's  "  Historical  Novels ;  "  Hone's 
"  Early  Life  and  Conversion  ;  "  Timperly's  "  Encyclo- 
pedia of  Literary  Anecdote ;"  "  The  Bay  Psalm  Book ;  " 
Adelung's  "Historical  Sketch  of  Sanscrit  Literature," 
translated  by  Talboys ;  Krummacher's  "  Elisha."  Aside 
from  these  somewhat  rare  books,  the  library  took  a  wide 
range  in  history,  poetry,  fiction,  and  travels.  Margaret 
could  scarcely  repress  the  desire  to  cry  out  once  more 
against  the  sacrilege.  Here  was  information  for  a  life- 
time; here  forgetfulness  of  the  past,  elysium  for  the 
future!  Why  must  this  grief  be  superadded  to  all  she 
had  borne  ?  But  with  heroic  effort  she  choked  back  the 
tears  and  went  calmly  on  with  her  work.     By  the  time 


26  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

she  had   finished  the  list  and  written  a  letter  to   Dr. 

Ely,  of   the  Episcopal   school  at   A ,  she   had   put 

aside  regret  and  was  once  more  ready  to  look  facts 
squarely  in  the  face.  "  The  first  step  that  costs  "  had 
been  taken,  and  never  afterward  to  Margaret  did  any 
sorrow  seem  like  the  wrench  of  this  one.  It  was  with 
alacrity,  amounting  almost  to  cheerfulness,  that  she 
went  about  her  task  of  packing  the  household  goods, 
and  though  sometimes  tears  Vvould  for  a  moment  dkn 
her  eyes  and  tender  memories  paralyze  her  hands,  yet 
the  serene  conviction  that  her  decision  had  been  wisely 
taken  seemed  to  hover  like  a  nimbus  of  light  above 
the  sadness  of  the  slowly-moving  hours. 

One  morning  as  Margaret,  with  her  brown  locks 
shrouded  in  a  wide-frilled  sweeping- cap,  her  dress  hid- 
den by  a  high-necked  calico  apron  of  nondescript  make, 
stood  upon  a  step-ladder,  engaged  in  removing  the 
dimity  curtains  from  the  sitting-room  windows,  a  per- 
emptory knock  at  the  open  door  behind  her  caused 
her  to  turn  so  suddenly  that  the  ladder  tipped  and 
threw  her,  with  unexpected  suddenness,  into  the  arms 
of  a  dignified  gentleman  who  stood  upon  the  threshold. 
Quickly  disengaging  herself,  she  exclaimed  with  a 
laugh  : 

''My  greeting  is  unusually  fervent.  Dr.  Ely;  but 
you  perceive  that  circumstances " 

''Were  too  many  for  you,"  he  interrupted,  as  Mar- 
garet paused  for  breath.  "  I  hope  you  were  not 
hurt  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least ;  but  a  trifle  confused.  Will  you 
walk  in  and  be  seated  ?     I  did  not  look  for  a  personal 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  2/ 

answer  to  my  letter,  otherwise  I  should  have  deferred 
my  packing." 

*'  I  decided  to  come  only  at  the  last  moment,  and  so 
could  not  write  you.  I  am  not  at  all  sorry  that  I  sur- 
prised you ;  in  fact,  [  found  it  rather  pleasant." 

Margaret  glanced  up  apprehensively,  a  new  wonder 
growing  in  her  eyes,  which  the  doctor  was  quick  to 
note  and  interpret.  "  I  felt  that  it  would  be  much 
easier  to  adjust  the  prices  of  the  books  and  come  to  a 
satisfactory  arrangement  of  matters  through  a  per- 
sonal interview.     Therefore  I  am  here." 

"And  quite  w^elcome ;  but  you  must  pardon  the  in- 
coherent state  of  things." 

"With  all  my  heart,  so  long  as  you  remain  rational. 
And  now  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  what  you  propose 
doing." 

"  I  ?     Working  for  a  living." 

"At  what?" 

"  Anything  I  can  find.  Just  now  Elsie  has  me  under 
control.  She  is  bent  on  making  a  market  gardener  of 
me.  Please  look  at  this  advertisement.  We  have 
already  made  appointment  to  visit  the  place,  and  if 
satisfactory  and  the  books  are  disposed  of,  to  take 
immediate  possession.  What  do  you  think  of  the 
plan  ?  " 

"  H-m.  It  might  be  good,  but  how  about  the  chil- 
dren's education  ?  " 

"  That  was  what  worried  me  greatly  at  first ;  but 
both  of  them  say  so  long  as  I  work  for  a  living  they 
shall  help  too.  We  have  decided  to  give  an  hour  each 
evening,  after  it  is  too  dark  to  work,  to  a  little  home 


28  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

culture.     After  all,  it  is  the  practical  application  of 
knowledge  that  makes  one  educated." 

*' Quite  true,  Miss  Margaret,"  answered  the  doctor 
as  he  gravely  regarded  her.  "  Give  me  a  few  more 
details  of  your  plan,  and  let  me  see  how  practicable 
it  is." 

As  Margaret  proceeded  with  an  animated  recital  of 
the  schemes  which  she  and  Elsie  had  lain  awake  nights 
to  concoct.  Dr.  Ely  sat  so  intently  watching  her  that 
she  flushed  and  grew  uneasy  under  his  scrutiny.  He, 
however,  was  not  aware  of  it ;  for  his  mind  was  borne 
in  upon  itself,  and  he  was  tracing  step  by  step  the 
years  of  his  life  that  had  brought  him  to  this  present 
moment.  He  was  a  dignified  man  nearing  the  fo'rties, 
with  a  grave  manner  that  was  often  thought  austere, 
but  which  was  only  the  outward  covering  of  a  nature 
too  keenly  sympathetic  and  appreciative  to  risk  the 
disapproval  of  an  obtuse  world.  Like  all  delicate  and 
sensitive  things  in  nature,  he  wrapped  himself  in  a 
husk,  and  only  those  who  penetrated  the  outward  cov- 
ering knew  how  beautiful  was  the  inner  temple  of  his 
soul,  how  genial  its  warmth,  and  how  playful  the  fancy 
that  tended  the  altar  of  his  imaginings.  His  sudden 
encounter  with  Margaret  this  morning  had  brought  to 
the  surface  a  slight  hint  of  its  existence,  but  the  quick 
wonder  of  her  eyes  had  sent  it  again  into  hiding.  He 
had  been  for  some  ten  years  the  president  of  the  school 

at  A ,  and  stood  entirely  alone  in  the  world.     For 

twenty  years  he  had  cherished  the  memory  of  a  fair 
girl  wife  who  had  been  companion  and  helpmeet  but 
three  short  months,  when  death  claimed  her.     In  her 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  29 

grave  he  had  thought  to  bury  love,  and  live  henceforth 
a  soHtary  worker,  with  no  dreams  to  entice  again  be- 
yond  the   prosaic   outHnes   of    his   daily   duties.     But 
Margaret  Murchison's  year  at  the  school  had  affected 
him  strangely.     He  had   watched  the  girl's  develop- 
ment   with    uncommon    interest;    had    been    touched 
more  than  once  by  the  clearness  and  unusual  candor 
of  her  nature,  and  grew  to  have  a  profound  admiration 
for  the  strength  and  purpose  which  upheld  her.    When 
she  had  been  so  suddenly  called  home  by  her  mother's 
death,  he  had  missed  her  more  than  he  liked  to  own 
even  to  himself.     Despite  the  disparity  in  their  years, 
he  felt  that  hers  was  a  nature  to  draw  from  its  ob- 
scurity all  that  was  highest  of  attainment  in  his  own. 
He  was  but  too  conscious  that,  struggle  as  he  might, 
he  somehow  fell  short  of  his  desires.     His  most  earnest 
efforts  seemed  to  fall  half-heartedly  upon  those  around 
him.     The  fault  must  be  his  ;  the  long  loneliness  of  his 
life — with  neither  father,  mother,  sister,  brother,  wife, 
to   share   a   single  aspiration   or  make   vivid   a   single 
heart-glow — had  unwittingly  isolated  him  from  man- 
kind.    When  the  light  of  this  love  fully  dawned  upon 
him,  his  soul  felt  the  glow  of  a  new  purpose,  and  it 
became  to  him  the  symbol  of  a  wider  sympathy  and 
charity,  because  of  which  Divinity  long  ago  found  need 
to  send  a  sign  to  all  mankind.     His  school  was  not 
slow  to  feel  the  change,  and  when  the  time  became 
ripe  for  him  to  speak,  he  felt  that  he  was  no  longer 
offering  Margaret,  in  all  her  freshness,  the  remnant  of 
a  heart  and  life,  but  the  first  fruits  of  a  living  soul. 
He  hastened  to  Barnley,  strong  in  his  purpose  to  lift 


30  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

her  at  once  from  the  toil  and  privation  of  poverty. 
He  had  watched  her  career  as  best  he  could,  in  the 
occasional  letters  received  from  her  father,  who  never 
failed  to  comment  upon  her  strength  and  growth  of 
character,  and  his  love  had  grown  with  the  subtileness 
of  fancy  until  he  had  never  stopped  to  consider  the 
effect  it  might  hav^e  upon  Margaret.  Surely  to  be 
sheltered  and  loved — ah!  how  he  would  prove  his  love 
to  her — ought  to  be  reason  enough  for  any  woman  so 
bereft  and  friendless.  So  he  had  reasoned  until  he 
caught  the  apprehensive  glance  of  Margaret's  eyes,  and 
then  he  knew  that  his  dream  had  not  been  hers,  and 
that  love  with  her  would  not  be  made  at  once  answer- 
able even  to  the  most  passionate  appeals.  All  these 
musings  ran  swiftly  through  his  mind,  the  while  his 
intent  glance  remained  upon  Margaret's  face,  uncon- 
sciously drinking  in  its  variable  play  of  expression. 
At  last  she  ceased  her  recital,  and  said  in  a  slightly 
constrained  voice:  "I  think  I  have  told  you  all  our 
plans  for  the  present.  Dr.  Ely." 

But  the  intent  eyes  never  left  her  face  as  the  doctor 
asked  wistfully:  ''Are  you  sure  you've  strength  for  so 
much  ?  " 

"  I  have  faith  that  it  will  be  given  me." 

"Yes,  yes,  it  will,"  he  replied  fervently,  as  he  roused 
himself  with  an  effort.  "  And  now  let  us  take  a  look 
at  the  books." 

He  followed  Margaret  into  the  study  and  stood  long 
in  silent  contemplation  before  the  shelves.  He  was 
evidently  making  a  careful  computation  of  the  value 
of  the  books.     "  How  much  money  will  you  need  for 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  3 1 

this  undertaking  ? "  he  asked,  suddenly  turning  to 
Margaret. 

"  I  have  very  little  idea.  I  can  scarcely  tell  until  we 
have  seen  the  place." 

*'Ah,  yes,  I  had  forgotten.  Of  course  you  are  not 
sure  of  anything  as  yet.  When  did  you  say  you  had 
appointed  an  interview  with  the  agent  ?  " 

"  We  had  expected  to  go  this  afternoon,  if  we  had 
a  satisfactory  letter  from  you  in  time.  If  not,  the  in- 
terview was  to  be  postponed  until  to-morrow." 

*'  And  you  have  not  had  that  satisfactory  letter  yet. 
Well,  you  shall  have  it  noAv.  The  books  are  even 
more  valuable  than  I  thought.  They  number,  I  think 
you  said,  some  eight  hundred  volumes.  Now,  I  wish 
to  propose  a  plan  of  my  own.  Suppose  I  advance  you 
the  sum  of  four  hundred  dollars  on  the  books  to  begin 
with,  allowing  you  to  select  such  as  in  your  home  cul- 
ture club  you  will  doubtless  need,  and  reserve  the 
balance — I  will  not  place  an  exact  price  on  them  now 
— to  be  drawn  upon  in  case  of  further  demand  for 
money.  Then,  when  you  have  made  your  fortune,  you 
are  to  have  the  books  back  at  the  price  I  paid  for  them." 

The  doctor  waited  some  time  for  Margaret's  answer ; 
but  she  stood  with  head  slightly  averted  and  was  silent. 
At  last  he  could  wait  no  longer,  but  bending  forward, 
glanced  down  at  her  face.  Tears  stood  on  the  long 
lashes  and  trembled  on  her  cheeks.  **  Margaret,"  he 
cried  sharply,  "  what  have  I  said  that  is  wrong  ?  " 

"  Nothing !  "  she  exclaimed,  suddenly  extending  both 
hands  to  him.  ''  Your  goodness  is  so  unexpected  that 
I  am  not  strone  enough  for  it." 


32  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

He  caught  her  hands  in  his  own  as  he  said  impul- 
sively: "  Listen,  Margaret.  It  is  not  goodness — it  is 
rather  pure  selfishness.  I  came  here  this  morning  in- 
tent on  offering  you  not  the  worth  of  the  books,  but 
something  I  was  foolish  enough  to  fancy  of  more  value 
— myself.  No,  don't  start;  but  hear  me  out.  Man- 
like, I  fancied  that  I  had  but  to  speak  and  you  would 
let  me  take  you  away  from  all  the  toil  and  privation ; 
but  now  I  know  you " 

Margaret  gently  drevv^  her  hands  away,  and  inter- 
rupted him:  ''I  never  dreamed  of  such  a  thing.  It  is 
impossible." 

*'  If  I  loved  you,  Margaret,  had  loved  you  for  years 
— don't  look  so  incredulous — ever,  since  you  were  a 
school-girl,  and  had  waited  patiently  until  the  time 
was  right,  hoping  that  my  love  might  win  its  response 
even  as  the  flowers  respond  to  the  warmth  and  light 
of  the  sun — if  I  offered  all  this  and  a  life-long  devo- 
tion, would  it  then  be  impossible  ?  " 

Margaret  glanced  up  wonderingly,  appealingly,  into 
the  eager  face  above  her. 

"It  is  all  so  strange,  so  confusing;  but  I  cannot — 
it  would  indeed  be  impossible ;  for — forgive  me,  I  do 
not  want  to  hurt  you — I  do  not  love  you,  Dr.  Ely, 
and  I " 

"  Say  no  more,"  he  said  gently,  "  I  knew  it  even  be- 
fore I  spoke;  but  I  am  glad  you  understand  me.  I 
have  been  a  lonely  man  all  my  life,  and  you  can  per- 
haps imagine  how,  even  old  as  I  am,  I  find  delight  in 
the  companionship  of  one  Avho  is  quick  to  understand 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  33 

and  appreciate  all  that  interests  me.  I  love  you,  dear 
child,  with  the  one  love  of  my  life ;  but  I  shall  never 
again  obtrude  it  upon  you.  I  must,  however,  claim 
one  favor.  I  am  willing  to  sink  all  that  I  had  hoped 
to  the  calm  basis  of  friendship;  do  not  deny  me  that. 
Let  me  help  you,  even  as  I  had  meant  to  before  I  spoke, 
and  I  promise  faithfully  never  to  claim  anything  more 
at  your  hands  than  the  just  consideration  of  one  friend 
for  another.  You  stand  alone  and  inexperienced — put 
aside  what  has  passed  and  let  my  age  and  experience 
help  you." 

Margaret,  watching  him  as  he  spoke,  could  not  fail 
to  be  touched  by  the  sincerity  and  unselfishness  of  his 
words.  P'or  reply  she  placed  her  hand  in  his  and  said 
softly,  "  I  will." 

"  One  word  more.  If  the  time  ever  comes — mind,  I 
do  not  expect  it,  I  do  not  even  beg  it—but  if  the  time 
does  come  when  your  heart  can  respond  fully  to  the 
love  that  shall  be  yours  as  long  as  life  lasts,  you  have 
only  to  say  '  come,'  and  I  will  obey  you  though  it  be 
to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  May  I  ask  this 
too?" 

''  It  is  not  much  to  promise,"  said  Margaret  gently, 
"  but  it  may  be  too  much  to  hope  for.  I  have  never 
had  time  for  anything  but  immediate  duties,  and  I  am 
afraid  I  shall  never  find  time  for  anything  else.  I  have 
always  felt  that  I  belonged  to  these  children.  If,  how- 
ever—and I  can  discern  but  the  faintest  hope— if  such  a 
time  should  come,  you  may  be  sure  that  the  word  will 
not  be  uttered  half-heartedly." 
3 


34  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

A  blush  stole  up  to  Margaret's  cheek  as  she  spoke, 
making  her  whole  face  glow  and  soften  with  an  un- 
wonted beauty  that  the  doctor's  observant  eyes  did 
not  fail  to  note.  They  were  suspiciously  misty  as  he 
raised  her  hand  to  his  lips  and  said  fervently: 

''Amen.     Now  let's  to  business." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  35 


CHAPTER   III. 

"  Oh,  I  think  it  is  delightful,"  exclaimed  Elsie  as 
she,  Margaret,  and  Dr.  Ely  stopped  in  the  late  glow 
of  the  afternoon  sun  before  the  gate  of  the  place  at 
Idlewild.  ''  Such  a  charming  tangle  of  briers  to  get 
scratched  on  while  hunting  for  very  stray  berries." 

^'  There  is  something  to  be  done  here  before  one 
could  hope  for  returns,"  assented  the  doctor.  "  But  let 
us  explore  the  house,  and  see  whether  it  is  possible  to 
exist  in  it." 

The  house,  by  courtesy  a  cottage,  had  four  rooms, 
so  called.  Elsie  suggested  boxes  as  a  better  name, 
but  found  consolation  in  the  fact  that  four  rooms  for 
three  people  left  a  breathing-room  that  each  could 
occupy  in  turn.  The  rooms  were  black  with  smoke 
and  slippery  with  filth,  and  even  Margaret  felt  some- 
thing very  like  despair  as  she  exclaimed  piteously : 
''The  muscle  and  soap  it  will  take  to  cleanse  it." 

"  Is  it  habitable  otherwise  ?"  asked  the  doctor  as  he 
rattled  windows,  examined  hinges  and  locks,  and  poked 
into  chimneys  and  cupboards.  ''  Fairly  good.  White- 
wash, paint,  soap,  and  muscle,  and  you  won't  know  it, 
Miss  Margaret.  Now  let  us  see  what  the  garden  is 
like.  Wants  underdraining  badly.  Soil  clayey  and 
cold,  but  admirably  situated  for  outlet  of  drain.     A 


3^  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

few  muck-heaps  and  this  garden  will  blossom  like  the 
rose." 

"  But  you  frighten  me,"  exclaimed  Margaret  aghast, 
"  I  haven't  the  slightest  idea  how  to  drain  it,  and  I  am 
sure  it  will  cost  more  than  we  can  afford." 

"  We  are  only  examining  possibilities.  '  Small  fruits,' 
a  dozen  ragged  currant  bushes,  some  straggling  straw- 
berry vines,  grapes  that  have  run  riot,  and  a  '  delight- 
ful tangle,'  as  Elsie  says,  of  raspberry  bushes.  Com- 
mon, too — no,  Gregg  if  I  am  not  mistaken.  Ah !  that  is 
better.  '  Three  acres  of  land  ' — not  more  than  two 
and  one-half  that  can  yield  anything.  Now,  Miss 
Margaret,  if  you  and  Elsie  are  ready  we'll  interview 
the  agent." 

"  The  place  will  not  pay  for  the  outlay  upon  it,  I  am 
afraid,"  said  Margaret  despondently,  as  they  went  out 
of  the  gate. 

"  Not  this  season,  certainly;  but  we  can  tell  better 
when  we  have  seen  the  agent  and  found  out  what  we 
can  do  with  him." 

"  Well,  if  you  had  not  insisted  on  coming  with  us  I 
should  have  turned  back  in  dismay.  Somehow,  Avhen 
I  can  see  a  Avay  through  I  am  ready  enough  to  act ; 
but  I  become  frightened  when  the  wall  is  »o  high  I 
cannot  see  over." 

"  That  is  natural  enough.  Very  few  women  have 
the  courage  to  scale  precipices;  but  those  who  under- 
take the  problem  of  self-support  must  encounter  all  of 
a  man's  difficulties.  We  are  a  chivalrous  people  here  in 
America,  but  that  chivalry  usually  consists  in  giving 
a  woman  a  fair  field  and  no  quarter.     If  you  seek  to 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  37 

be  one  with  us  in  opportunities,  you  must  be  one  with 
us  in  conditions." 

''  If  I  might  always  be  sure  of  such  fair  considera- 
tion I  shall  not  complain.  A  woman,  however,  cannot 
insure  her  own  incompetency  against  the  greed  of  those 
who  are  chivalrous  enough  to  take  advantage  of  it.  She 
must  always  be  more  or  less  a  victim." 

"  So  long  as  she  remains  incompetent.  Experience, 
however,  is  the  great  moulder  in  her  case  as  well  as 
that  of  her  brother.  She  demonstrates  her  capacity 
in  proportion  as  she  learns  the  same  hard  lessons. 
One  of  the  first  of  these  lessons  is  not  to  ask  any  more 
of  the  world  because  of  her  sex.  When  womicn  cease 
clamoring  for  a  man's  rights  and  a  woman's  pre-emi- 
nence at  one  and  the  same  time,  then  will  the  dogged 
opposition  of  those  to  whom  she  appeals  be  less  notice- 
able." 

''Yet  it  is  quite  natural  for  the  weak  to  ask  a  little 
extra  standing-room  of  their  more  fortunate  brothers." 

"  It  is  one  thing  to  ask  by  virtue  of  a  common 
sympathy,  and  another  to  demand  as  a  right.  Man- 
kind is  a  good  deal  like  the  pig  that  Paddy  tried  to 
drive  to  market.  'Shure  if  ye  iver  git  'im  there,  ye 
must  head  'im  t'other  way.'  It  might  be  well  to  try 
the  scheme  on  the  agent  of  this  place." 

As  Margaret  glanced  up  and  caught  the  humorous 
twinkle  of  the  doctor's  eyes,  she  said  quietly:  ''  I  leave 
the  settlement  of  the  matter  in  your  hands,  while  I 
watch  your  effort  in  getting  the  pig  to  market.  I  shall 
have  need  to  learn  all  I  can." 

Mr.  Smith,  of  the  real  estate  firm  of  Harris  &  Smith, 


38  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

was  a  portly,  self-satisfied  man,  who  regarded  the  ap- 
plicants for  the  little  place  at  Idlewild  with  a  some- 
what lofty  stare  over  the  rim  of  his  gold  eye-glasses. 
It  was  quite  evident  from  his  manner  that  so  small  a 
transaction  as  this  was  not  considered  worth  any  extra 
amount  of  civility.  But  the  pompous  manner  neither 
abashed  nor  diverted  Dr.  Ely  from  his  purpose.  With 
a  man's  decision  and  firmness  he  stated  his  wishes,  met 
objections,  overcame  difficulties,  and  obtained  satis- 
factory results,  with  such  facility  that  Margaret  felt 
herself  well-nigh  overwhelmed  in  the  dismal  swamp 
of  her  own  incapacity. 

When  the  contract  for  the  specific  performance  of 
each  had  been  duly  drawn  and  signed,  and  Dr.  Ely, 
Margaret,  and  Elsie  had  once  more  regained  the  side- 
walk, the  doctor  asked :  "  Well,  Miss  Margaret,  did  I 
get  my  pig  to  market  ?  " 

"As  I  should  never  have  dared  to  do." 

"  I  knew  it,"  and  the  doctor's  face  grew  suddenly 
grave.  "  It  is  a  big  undertaking  for  a  slender  untried 
woman." 

"  No,"  said  Margaret  gently,  "  not  when  I  have  such 
an  adviser." 

"  Well,  I  intend  to  see  you  safely  settled  before  I 
leave.     There  is  a  great  deal  in  getting  started  right." 

"  I  haven't  a  demur  to  make — not  even  an  expostu- 
lation as  to  the  trouble  you  are  making  yourself.  The 
time  to  assert  my  independence  will  be  when  I  am 
monarch  of  all  I  survey." 

''You'll  have  nothing  to  do  now  for  three  years  to 
come  but  develop  your  skill  as  a  gardener.     I  fancy 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  39 

you  will  not  find  altogether  easy  work  or  satisfactory 
returns." 

''  I  do  not  expect  to.  I  have  my  apprenticeship  yet 
to  learn  ;  but  it  seems  to  promise  more  than  any  other 
available  thing.  Besides,  I  shall  count  even  mistakes 
as  so  much  marketable  goods  in  the  future,  if  I  am 
only  wise  enough  to  profit  by  them." 

"  He  is  wise  indeed  who  always  succeeds  in  doing  it." 

The  doctor  at  once  set  himself  to  supervising  the 
laying  in  of  the  drain,  the  painting  and  papering  of 
the  little  house,  and  the  trimming  and  pruning  of  the 
tangle  of  vines  and  bushes  in  the  garden.  With  the 
aid  of  Gilbert,  a  bright  lad  of  sixteen,  the  untidy  place 
soon  came  to  assume  an  air  of  neatness  and  thrift 
which  at  once  impressed  Mr.  Smith  with  the  idea  that 
his  tenants  were  people  on  whom  it  might  be  worth 
while  to  expend  a  little  civility. 

It  was  the  first  of  March,  raw,  cold,  and  inhospi- 
table, when,  with  their  household  belongings,  the  little 
party  was  set  down  at  the  door  of  the  new  home.  It 
was  late  in  the  afternoon  and  all  were  cold,  tired,  and 
somewhat  dispirited.  Even  the  doctor's  equanimity 
was  beginning  to  give  way  before  the  settled  obstinacy 
of  a  refractory  stove-pipe,  when  a  brisk  knock  at  the 
door  of  the  sitting-room  interrupted  operations  for  a 
moment.  Margaret  opened  the  door,  to  be  greeted 
with  the  cheery  voice  of  a  little  black-eyed  woman 
who  stepped  in  without  waiting  for  an  invitation. 
"  Good-efening  to  you  all,"  she  cried.  ''  I  am  Lizzette 
Minaud.  I  lif  ze  next  door,  and  I  haf  prepared  ze 
souper   for  you.     Do   not   say   '  Non ! '     I   take   it  so 


40  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

amiss.  You  look  so  blue,  so  tired,  so  ready  to  cry, 
pauvre  child,"  and  she  laid  her  hand  warmly  upon 
Margaret's  arm  as  she  spoke. 

*'  You  are  very  kind,  but "  and  Margaret  glanced 

apprehensively  at  the  doctor. 

**  Oh,  your  —  your  —  ze  gentilhomme  will  go,  I  am 
sure.  I  haf  known  how  ze  tired  comes  in  mofing,  and 
you  sail  work  so  mooch  ze  better  when  you  haf  supped. 
I  keep  you  only  so  long  as  you  sail  need  ze  rest  and 
refreshment." 

"  A  thousand  thanks,"  said  the  doctor  heartily.  "  To 
be  sure  we  will  go.  Gilbert,  you  and  I  can  have  a 
good  deal  more  patience  with  this  unruly  stove-pipe 
after  we  have  partaken  of  this  lady's  supper,  eh  ?  " 

'^  I  can't  answer  for  you,  sir,  but  I  know  I  am  hungry 
as  a  wolf." 

"  So  mooch  ze  better.  Hunger  ees  ze  sauce  piquante 
to  black  bread." 

"  Did  you  ever  feed  a  boy  ?  "  interposed  Elsie,  glanc- 
ing roguishly  at  Gilbert.  "  If  not,  I  warn  you  before- 
hand.«" 

"  Non,  non.  I  do  not  need  ze  Avarning.  Lizzette 
Minaud's  table  ees  nefer  empty." 

*' We  are  taxing  your  kindness,  I  fear,"  said  Mar- 
garet, as  they  prepared  for  the  visit. 

"  Non,  eet  ees  ze  plaisir.  I — I  like  your  face,"  and 
the  impulsive  little  woman  again  grasped  Margaret's 
hand.  *'  We  must  be  friends,  and  friends  take  no 
thought  of  ze  trouble  of  serving  each  ozair." 

"You  have  given  the  true  meaning  of  friendship," 
replied  Margaret  earnestly. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  4I 

Lizzette  MInaud's  house  was  a  ''  box  "  indeed,  not 
even  as  large  as  the  one  which  seemed  so  small  to 
Margaret  and  Elsie ;  but  it  was  a  marvel  of  neatness 
and  taste.  The  oak  floor  of  the  salon,  as  in  grandiose 
style  Lizzette  designated  her  sitting-room,  was  like  a 
mirror  in  its  capacity  to  reflect  objects,  and  nearly  as 
dangerous  to  walk  upon.  Here  and  there  bright- 
colored  rugs,  knit  by  the  expert  fingers  of  the  mistress, 
lay  before  couch,  stove,  and  tables.  The  walls  were 
a  delicate  cream  tint,  with  dado  and  frieze  composed 
of  crimson,  brown,  and  golden  maple  leaves  delicately 
veined  and  shaded,  each  one  the  particular  work  of 
Lizzette.  In  response  to  the  delighted  exclamation  of 
her  visitors,  she  explained  in  perfect  frankness  that 
having  little  money  and  some  skill,  she  had  determined 
to  decorate  her  home^bought  with  the  savings  of 
years — in  as  tasteful  a  design  as  she  could  achieve. 
She  was  rewarded  with  gratifying  success,  for  the 
grouping  of  the  leaves  was  so  artistic  and  the  color- 
ing so  perfect  that  nature  seemed  to  be  rivalled  in  the 
reproduction. 

"You  are  an  artist!"  enthusiastically  exclaimed 
Margaret. 

"  Non,  non — only  a  Frenchwom.an  and  a  cook,"  she 
answered  with  a  characteristic  shrug.  "  I  haf  all  my 
life  been  cook  for  ze  great  families.  In  France  first, 
in  America  many  year  since.  I  marry  twelve  year 
since,  and  my  husband  he  go  away  when  my  Antoine 
but  two  year  old.  He  ees  here  in  zis  room,  and  he 
will  be  so  charmed  to  meet  you."  As  she  finished 
speaking,  she  turned  toward  a  little  alcove  and  pre- 


42  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

sented  to  view,  what  at  first  seemed  a  little  child 
propped  up  on  a  couch.  A  second  look,  and  it  was  at 
once  discovered  that  the  child  was  a  hunch-backed  lad 
of  some  ten  years,  with  dwarfed  and  misshapen  limbs 
that  refused  to  support  him.  With  that  appealing 
gaze  so  often  noted  in  the  suffering  and  unfortunate, 
his  dark  eyes  looked  out  from  beneath  a  brow  broad, 
smooth,  and  white.  Rings  of  jet-black  curls,  a  straight, 
delicate  nose,  and  a  mouth  with  lips  thin  and  bloodless 
and  downward  curved,  completed  the  cast  of  his  fea- 
tures. But  it  would  be  impossible  to  reproduce  in 
words  the  innate  beauty  of  the  smile  that  lit  up  his 
face  or  the  sublimity  of  spirit  which  looked  out  of  the 
dark  eyes.  Impulsive  Elsie  was  on  her  knees  beside 
him  in  a  moment, 

''You  dear  angel!"  she  exclaimed,  picking  up  one 
of  the  thin,  white  hands  and  kissing  it.  "  I  shall  love 
you,  I  know." 

"  Everybody  does.  Everybody  is  so  good,"  said  the 
lad  simply.  "  You  are  good  to  come.  I  wanted  to 
see  you." 

'' Eet  ees  true,"  said  Lizzette,  *' he  would  not  rest 
until  I  had  tried  to  make  ze  welcome.  He  ees  some- 
times lonesome  when  I  go  about  ze  work,  but  he  ees 
always  patient  and  always  so  kind.  He  ees  un  grand 
scholair,  too.  See,  he  read  zis,"  and  Lizzette  held  up 
in  triumph  a  well-thumbed  copy  of  Shakespeare.  '*  It 
is  ze  Anglais.  He  learn  so  fast,  and  he  read  Santine 
et  Racine  tres  bien.  I  go  to  school  to  mon  enfant 
soon,"  and  the  little  mother  patted  the  boy's  pale 
cheek  in  an  effusion  of  pride  and  fondness.  The  lad 
glanced  up  lovingly  and  said  quickly: 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  43 

"  Non,  non.  Ma  mere  has  quicker  eyes  and  more 
wisdom  than  Antoine.  Is  the  supper  ready  ?  I  am 
very  hungry  and  want  my  wheel  chair." 

The  mother  turned  to  get  it,  but  Gilbert  was  before 
her,  and  gently  lifting  the  lad  into  it,  he  started  it  to- 
ward the  little  kitchen  where  stood  the  supper-table. 

"  Ma  mere  is  a  famous  cook,"  said  the  lad  with  a 
bright  smile.  ''  She  makes  appetite  when  it  has  for- 
gotten to  grow." 

''  So  he  say,"  said  Lizzette  with  a  shrug.  "  I  only 
follow  ze  way  of  my  art." 

The  doctor,  who  had  long  been  silent,  glanced  up  as 
they  seated  themselves  at  the  table,  and  asked :  "  Do 
you  indeed  think  cookery  an  art  ?  " 

"  Oui,  oui,  sir.  Ze  grand  art,  sir.  Ze  grain  of  ze 
man  ees  as  ze  food  he  eat ;  if  it  be  coarse,  he  coarse  too. 
Strong,  may  be,  but  not  ze  fine  gentilhomme  who 
eferywhere  see  ze  leetle  beauties  of  life,  and  so  rest 
you  wiz  ze  gracefulness  of  his  way." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,  madam,"  said  the  doctor 
gravely,  "  although  I  confess  I  had  never  looked  at  it 
in  that  light." 

"  Eet  ees  like  ze  art  of  ozair  sings.  Ze  leetle  touch 
zat  makes  ze  picture,  and  as  Antoine  say,  ze  poetry  of 
Shakespeare.     Will  it  please  you  to  speak  ze  grace  ?  " 

Lizzette's  supper-table  was  a  sight  to  tempt  less 
weary  and  hungry  wayfarers  than  our  dispirited 
quartette.  It  was  simplicity  itself,  the  principal  dish 
being  a  salad  so  crisp  in  its  delicate  ravigote  of  finely- 
flavored  herbs  that  Elsie  declared  it  "  a  mortgage  on 
the  summer,  since  it  had  stolen  all  its  sweetest  flavors." 


44  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

Lobster  rissoles,  a  mushroom  omelette,  with  cold 
bread,  a  soupgon  of  preserved  plums,  black  coffee,  and 
tea  served  from  the  depths  of  a  Japanese  cosey,  com- 
pleted the  menu. 

"  The  salad.  Miss  Elsie,  ees  made  of  ze  weeds  of  ze 
wayside,"  said  Lizzette.  "  Vous  Anglais  despise  ze 
sings  ze  French  live  by.  I  make  zis  salad  of  ze  herb 
you  call  dandelion ;  I  find  it  growing  eferywhere.  I 
mix  it  wiz  ze  cressom — you  call  it  Vv^ater-cress — grow- 
ing by  ze  brooks,  toss  it  up  wiz  ze  ravigote  of  tar- 
ragon, chervil  et  bumet,  and  behold  you  have,  as  you 
say,  '  ze  summer  in  mortgage  to  ze  winter.* 

"  Count  me  a  pupil  to  the  economy  of  these  versatile 
French,"  exclaimed  Elsie  rapturously.  '^  I  know  now 
what  I  was  born  for.  Madam  Minaud  shall  make  an 
artist  of  me.     I  am  positively  inspired  with  ambition." 

*'  Or  Madam  Minaud's  supper,"  observed  Gilbert. 

"  We  Americans  long  ago  accepted  the  gospel  of 
plain  'boiled  and  fried,'  and  your  dispensation  is  only 
just  beginning  to  be  felt  among  those  who  have  lived 
abroad.  It  is  certainly  a  much-needed  lesson,"  said 
the  doctor  as  he  complacently  accepted  Lizzette's 
offer  of  a  second  omelette. 

"  Ze  French  nevaire  trow  away  like  ze  Anglais. 
Zey  save  ze  leetle  sings,  and  so  zey  grow  reech  where 
ze  Anglais— il  a  de  quoi  vivre  mais  bien  maigrement." 

"  Our  lines  have  fallen  in  pleasant  places,"  cried 
Elsie  enthusiastically.  ''Antoine  shall  teach  me  French, 
and  Madam  Minaud  shall  bestow  upon  me  the  art  of 
converting  wayside  weeds  into  m.eat  and  drink  for  the 
fleshly  tabernacle." 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  45 

*' You  are  making  the  bargain  all  for  yourself,  Elsie. 
What  compensation  do  you  propose  in  return?"  asked 
Margaret  with  an  amused  glance  at  the  girl's  flushed 
cheeks  and  sparkling  eyes. 

"  Compensation  ? "  exclaimed  Antoine  quickly 
"  Everything !  herself,  love — ah,  we  shall  be  more  than 
paid.  I  shall  have  the  companion  I  have  longed  for, 
and  ma  mere  will  see  the  rose  come  back  to  my  cheeks 
and  be  glad.  Is  ij:  not  so  ? "  and  the  child's  hand 
sought  Elsie's  as  it  rested  on  the  back  of  his  chair. 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  Elsie  eagerly.  ''You  shall  have  all 
the  comfort  I  can  give  you,  dear  child." 

As  she  spoke  she  pushed  back  the  jetty  curls  and 
left  the  warm  touch  of  her  lips  upon  the  lad's  white 
forehead.  In  an  instant  the  thin  arms  were  around 
her  neck,  and  he  cried  excitedly:  "  I  love  you  so,  and  I 
shall  never  be  unhappy  again." 

Grave  Dr.  Ely  turned  away  from  this  scene  with 
quivering  lip,  and  his  voice  was  not  altogether  steady 
as  he  said  :  "  Well,  Gilbert,  that  stove-pipe  does  not  look 
half  so  formidable  as  it  did  before  Madam  Minaud's 
delicious  supper." 

"  Indeed,  no,  sir.     I  feel  like  a  Hercules." 

"  All  right.  Let  us  see  how  soon  we  can  slay  the 
giant  disorder.  In  view  of  the  circumstances,  madam 
will  excuse  a  hasty  departure." 

"  Certainment.  Work  ees  master  in  our  leetle  world." 

"Work  and  love,  ma  mere,"  exclaimed  Antoine. 

"  Antoine  is  right,"  said  Margaret.  "  These  are  the 
soul  and  body  of  existence;  to  toil  is  the  Divine  com- 
mand— to  love  the  Divine  purpose." 


46  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

'*  We  must  perforce  obey  the  command,"  exclaimed 
Elsie,  patting  Antoine's  cheek.  "  The  purpose  we  will 
leave  to  its  own  solution." 

*'  I've  already  solved  it,"  answered  Antoine  with  a 
ripple  of  laughter  that  brought  a  happy  light  to 
Lizzette's  eyes  as  she  answered  the  ''good-nights  "  of 
the  little  party. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  47 


CHAPTER   IV. 

It  did  not  take  long  to  settle  the  little  four-roomed 
house,  for  Dr.  Ely  proved  himself  an  every-day  worker. 
The  week  that  had  passed  since  he  had  left  his 
school  had  been  full  of  business.  The  purpose  which 
he  saw  in  Margaret  and  Elsie  had  awakened  a  new 
interest  in  his  life,  and  to  see  that  their  feet  were 
firmly  fixed  in  the  way  they  had  marked  out  for  them- 
selves seemed  to  him  the  task,  as  well  as  the  pleasure, 
of  an  elder  brother.  Looking  upon  life  as  the  vast 
field  from  which  should  spring  all  that  is  highest  of 
development  and  achievement  in  humanity,  he  was 
touched  with  the  hope  of  being  a  factor  in  the  ambi- 
tious purposes  of  these  inexperienced  and  well-nigh 
friendless  girls.  He  believed  fully  in  allowing  to  each 
individual  soul  the  opportunities  for  measuring  its  own 
power,  and  while  a  certain  sense  of  loss  came  upon 
him  when  he  realized  that  the  expectation  of  taking 
Margaret  into  his  own  life  could  not  be  fulfilled,  he 
felt  ennobled  and  strengthened  by  the  desire  to  be  one 
with  her  in  her  efforts  of  self-advancement.  "  Not 
now,  not  now;  but  some  time,  perhaps,''  he  said  to  his 
heart,  and  during  his  week  of  early  and  late  work  not 
one  word  or  look  of  his  had  disturbed  the  serenity  of 
Margaret's  mind.  He  had  been  solely  and  simply  the 
elder  brother  on  whose  experience  and  friendly  aid  she 


4o  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

could  rely.  Now,  however,  the  little  home  was  in 
order;  the  tiny  sitting-room  with  its  painted  and 
polished  floor,  its  bright  rugs,  its  gayly-cushioned 
Boston  rockers,  its  hassocks  that  served  the  double 
duty  of  seats  and  boot-boxes,  and  last,  but  not  least, 
its  revolving  book-case  with  the  few  of  the  well-known 
volumes  which  Margaret  had  selected  from  her  father's 
library  and  which  Dr.  Ely  had  supplemented  with 
some  contributions  of  his  own.  These  were  princi- 
pally works  on  art  and  the  intellect,  by  Ruskin,  Ham- 
merton,  and  others,  and  a  few  books  of  poetry  by 
Dante  Rossetti,  Keats,  Tennyson,  and  a  superb  edition 
de  luxe  of  "Aurora  Leigh."  They  were  all  seated  in 
this  room  surveying  its  finishing  touches  the  evening 
previous  to  Dr.  Ely's  departure  for  A . 

"  Well,  it  is  pleasant,"  he  exclaimed.  ''  I  shall  carry 
its  memory  with  me  when  I  go,  and  in  imagination 
behold  you  seated  every  evening  around  the  open 
stove,  feasting  on  the  contents  of  this  handy  little 
book-case.  I  shall  remember  how  white  the  curtains 
are,  how  dainty  the  table  scarfs  and  the  head-rests  of 
the  chairs,  and  how  really  fine  those  oleographs  and 
photogravures  on  the  wall  appear  in  the  glow  of  the 
fire-light,  and  I  shall  fancy  you  are  all  taking  on  flesh 
and  good  spirits  under  the  inspiration  of  Elsie's  cook- 
ing." 

''You  are  very  kind  not  to  insinuate  one  word  about 
dyspepsia,"  answered  Elsie  demurely.  "  But  I  am 
really  enthusiastic  over  my  promised  lessons  in  that 
grand  art,  as  madam  so  grandiloquently  calls  it.  You 
know  some  people  are  born  great,  and   I   really  feel 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  49 

that  I  am  destined  to  achieve  my  highest  expression  in 
an  apostleship  to  the  pots  and  pans  of  the  kitchen. 
Like  the  starvelHng  poet  of  the  story-books,  I  shall 
doubtless  astonish  the  world  when  the  flame  of  my 
soul  has  burst  into  a  dish  fit  to  set  before  a  king. 

"You  are  somewhat  mixed  as  to  metaphor,"  ex- 
claimed Margaret  with  a  laugh. 

"  Well,  I  hope  to  mix  more  than  metaphors  by-and- 
by.     But  tell  me,  Dr.  Ely,  are  you  conscious  of  either 
.  an  aching  void  or  an  aching  fulness,  whichever  dyspep- 
sia happens  to  be,  since  you  sat   under  my  dispensa- 
tion ?  " 

"  I  haven't  had  such  an  appetite  in  years.  I  don't 
in  the  least  question  your  genius  for  cookery,  and 
when  you  have  learned  to  make  something  out  of 
nothing  with  a  ravishing  French  name  and  taste,  you 
can  count  on  achieving  a  world-wide  fame." 

*'  Fame  ?  a  bauble!  I  look  only  to  the  expression  of 
my  art,"  and  Elsie  rolled  up  her  eyes  and  shrugged 
her  shapely  shoulders  with  an  abandon  of  French 
mannerism  that  was  as  startling  as  it  was  amusing. 
Som.ething  in  Margaret's  apprehensive  glance  caught 
the  doctor's  quick  eye.  What  wonderful  fire  and  keen- 
ness lay  in  the  little  girl's  mobile  face.  Ah,  well,  Mar- 
garet was  right ;  there  was  work  for  her  here.  With 
an  abruptness  that  seemed  almost  harsh  he  spoke : 

"  He  'jests  at  scars  that  never  felt  a  wound.'  Art, 
Miss  Elsie,  in  its  entirety  is  deep,  and  high,  and  long, 
and  men  have  sought  it,  and  with  palsied  finger  on  the 
pulse  of  time  have  died  unanswered." 

The  laughing  eyes   of    Elsie  grew  suddenly  grave. 


50  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

"  Dear  me,  one  can't  be  enthusiastic  nowadays  with- 
out finding  a  wet  blanket  thrown  over  her  at  the  first 
step.  Nevertheless  I  don't  intend  to  wear  cap  and 
spectacles  until  long  after  my  humble  divinity  has 
crowned  me  mistress.  My  ambition  is  such  a  simple 
one — just  to  tickle  the  palates  of  my  little  world.  Now, 
doctor,  don't  discourage  m.e." 

"  Not  for  the  world.  Epicurus,  if  he  were  here, 
would  doubtless  pronounce  a  benediction  on  your  am- 
bition, and  I  am  not  sure  that  your  purpose  does  not 
already  deserve  a  laurel  leaf,  for  it  has  been  more  than 
once  reiterated  that  the  crying  need  of  the  day  is  good 
cookery." 

"  Thanks.  I  am  glad  that  my  mission  has  the  sup- 
port of  the  public  mind,  or  palate.  Either  will  do,  I 
suppose.  But  how  is  it  Vv-ith  you,  Meg  ?  I  haven't 
heard  you  declare  as  yet  for  any  reform." 

*'  I  am  not  so  sure  of  my  mission  as  you  are  of  yours, 
nor  so  confident  of  being  born  to  greatness." 

'^That's  bad.  One  surely  ought  to  believe  in  her- 
self if  she  expects  to  get  on.  Perhaps  the  doctor  can 
help  your  indecision." 

There  was  a  mischievous  twinkle  in  Elsie's  eyes  that 
was  not  lost  on  the  doctor,  but  with  the  utmost  grav- 
ity he  replied:  ''Well,  yes,  I  think  I  can.  It  will  be 
a  mission  worth  while  to  learn  the  problem  of  self-sup- 
port and  self-education  under  adverse  circumstances. 
It  will  need  something  more  than  enthusiasm." 

A  patience  and  a  finesse  of  which  I  am  not  sure  I 
am  master.  I  am  only  mutely  feeling  my  way  now. 
Indeed,  the  doctor  has  lifted  so  much  responsibility 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  5 1 

from  my  shoulders  in  this  new  venture  that  I  hardly 
know  what  I  can  do." 

**  You  will  know  when  the  opportunity  comes  to  act. 
Just  now  you  needed  the  little  friendly  direction  I  am 
very  glad  I  was  able  to  offer.  There  are  times  when 
even  the  strongest  are  not  wholly  self-reliant." 

Tears  stood  in  Margaret's  eyes  as  she  answered : 
"  How^  unblessed  is  he  who  can  make  no  claim  on  loyal 
friendship.     May  I  always  prove  myself  worthy  of  it." 

"  We'll  not  question  that  now,  nor  in  the  future," 
said  the  doctor,  a  glow  of  light  in  his  eyes  that  watch- 
ing Elsie  did  not  fail  to  note.  "  Now,  tell  me  your 
plan  for  making  use  of  this  mine,"  he  added,  touch- 
ing the  book-case  at  his  right  hand. 

"  I've  been  thinking  we  must  get  at  the  nuggets 
with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  for  we  haven't  time  to 
bore  through  worthless  drifts  of  scoria,  even  though 
at  the  bottom  may  be  a  mine  of  wealth.  We  must 
make  practical  and  immediate  use  of  what  we  learn." 

''  True,"  interposed  the  doctor  as  Margaret  looked 
up  interrogatively.     "  I  am  deeply  interested." 

''This,  then,  is  what  I've  been  thinking:  every 
thought  of  other  minds  from  which  we  can  draw  sus- 
tenance must  be  drained  of  its  nutriment  before  we 
seek  another,  and  that  thought  must  be  made  to  bear 
relatively  upon  our  own.  In  other  words,  it  must 
father  a  new  growth  in  our  own  minds,  for  in  that  way 
only  can  education  have  any  practical  bearing  upon 
life  and  action." 

"  Excellent !  "  exclaimed  the  doctor  warmly.  ''  Go 
on,  please.** 


52  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

Margaret's  cheek  flushed  as  she  compHed.  ."It  is 
my  purpose,  then,  in  this  home  symposium  to  bring  no 
thought  that  we  cannot  healthfully  digest.  Occult  re- 
search is  only  for  the  man  of  leisure.  This  is  the  first 
principle  that  shall  govern  our  intellectual  feast.  The 
second  shall  be  the  democracy  of  our  purpose,  or,  in 
other  words,  the  hand-to-hand  start  we  shall  make  in 
our  race  for  knowledge.  No  one  shall  be  debarred  be- 
cause he  has  not  learned  the  alphabet  of  reason ;  we 
will  give  him  the  chance  to  learn  it.  The  third  re- 
quirement will  be  only  good  moral  character,"  and 
Margaret  finished  with  a  laugh. 

"  Regardless  of  social  position,  remember,  doctor," 
exclaimed  Elsie.  "  In  short,  Margaret  has  sketched 
the  outlines  of  a  new  aristocracy,  wherein  moral  worth 
and  purpose  count  first,  with  brain  and  healthy  diges- 
tion a  good  second,  and  where  wealth  doesn't  stand 
any  show  at  all." 

"  You  forget  that  is  the  goal  toward  which  the  first 
two  tend,"  said  Margaret  eagerly.  ''An  aristocracy 
founded  on  those  principles  could  not  be  an  insecure 
one — could  it,  doctor  ?  " 

''  It  is  admirable  as  a  dream,  and  as  a  dream  im- 
practicable, I  fear." 

•  "  By  no  means,"  said  Elsie  as  she  noticed  the  shadow 
that  crossed  Margaret's  face  at  the  doctor's  words. 
*'  You  forget  that  it  concerns  only  three  people.  We 
shall  reform  the  world  chiefly  by  beginning  to  reform 
ourselves.  Nothing  could  so  suit  our  Eutopian  ideas 
as  to  call  it  'A  New  Aristocracy.'  " 

''An  aristocracy  of  potato  diggers!  "  exclaimed  Gil- 
bert, looking  up  from  his  book. 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  53 

"  Exactly.  We  have  a  right  to  a  kingdom  of  our 
own  within  these  walls.  Our  fame  and  our  pride  need 
not  go  beyond  them." 

''  Safe  enough  on  that  score,"  said  Gilbert  ironically.   . 

"Well,"  said  the  doctor  merrily,  "I  shall  count  my- 
self one  of  the  aristocrats  even  when  miles  away." 

"  But  I  haven't  told  you  all  my  plan  yet,"  said  Mar- 
garet. "  It  concerns  this  very  potato-digging  that  to 
Gilbert  seems  so  incongruous  with  our  high  purposes. 
On  the  principle  that  everything  we  have  is  the  prod- 
uct of  the  earth,  there  is  nothing  out  of  proportion 
in  even  potato  diggers  striving  for  the  highest  develop- 
ment, and  as  our  impressions  all  come  to  us  from  our 
contact  with  every-day  things,  we  shall  find  an  aston- 
ishing philosophy  grow  out  of  potato-digging  if  we  look 
for  it.  In  my  endeavors  to  carry  out  the  behests  un- 
derlying the  propagation  of  plants,  I  expect  to  find 
questions  that  will  lead  me  into  as  yet  unexplored 
paths,  and  I  shall  endeavor  to  treasure  up  these  ques- 
tions and  their  answers  if  they  can  be  found.  I  shall 
exact  the  same  process  of  reasoning  from  all  the  mem- 
bers of  our  circle,  and  shall  expect  every  evening  to 
be  regaled  by  Elsie  with  a  philosophical  monologue 
on  the  amount  of  nutriment  there  is  in  an  ecj'G:  or  the 
exhilaration  to  be  derived  from  the  dish-pan." 

''  Then  you  will  be  disappointed.  My  ideas  are  not 
perennial;  but  if  I  chance  to  evolve  some  flavor  that 
a  Frenchman  would  doubtless  call  '  heavenly,'  you  may 
look  for  a  harangue." 

''A  practical  school  of  philosophy  it  seem.s  to 
shadow  forth  ;  but  the  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the 
eating,  you  know/'  said  the  doctor  with  a  smile. 


54  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

"  I  don't  underrate  the  difficulties  in  the  way;  but  I 
think  we  three  ought  to  be  able  to  do  something  with 
ourselves  on  that  basis,"  said  Margaret. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  doctor.  "And  I  shall  en- 
deavor to  remodel  my  own  work  from  the  same  stand- 
point. I  have  been  a  dreamer  and  an  enthusiast,  and 
it  has  remained  for  an  untried  girl  to  show  the  prac- 
tical application  of  my  dreams.  I  shall  go  home  a 
wiser  man." 

''  You  frighten  me,  doctor,  with  the  seriousness  of 
that  statement.  It  is  all  untried  as  yet,"  exclaimed 
Margaret  in  evident  distress. 

"True;  but  I  can  see  its  first  steps.  After  these  the 
way  may  open  wider  and  clearer.  It  is  certainly  worth 
trying." 

With  this  indorsement  Margaret  felt  satisfied,  and 
there  was  color  in  her  cheeks  and  brilliancy  in  her  eyes 
as  she  and  the  doctor  talked  long  and  animatedly 
until  late  in  the  evening.  Gilbert  had  stolen  away  to 
bed  and  Elsie  was  deep  in  a  novel  of  Antoine's. 

"  I  shall  have  to  shake  myself  well  together  when  I 
get  home,"  said  the  doctor,  when  they  discovered  the 
lateness  of  the  hour.  "  I've  been  living  a  new  life  and 
the  old  one  will  seem  strancrc" 

o 

It  was  hard  for  Margaret  to  acknowledge  even  to 
herself  after  the  doctor's  departure  that  she  felt  lonely 
and  uneas}/;  but  somehow  she  missed  the  careful  fore- 
thought that  had  been  as  new  as  it  had  been  unex- 
pected. It  was  a  strange  experience  in  her  barren 
life,  and  scold  herself  as  she  might,  she  could  not  find 
it  unpleasant.     But  for  the  oresent  she  would  not,  she 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  55 

might  not  indulge  in  dreams.  A  work  that  might 
stretch  into  years  lay  before  her.  That  done — well, 
how  strong  is  faith  ?  A  new  beauty,  however,  stole 
into  her  face;  its  somewhat  stern  lines  relaxed,  and 
tender,  almost  pathetic,  little  curves  grew  about  the 
corners  of  the  firmly-set  lips.  It  was  quite  apparent 
to  those  who  knew  her  that  the  calm  reliance  of  her 
nature  had  been  disturbed  by  something  strange  and 
sweet,  yet  not  even  Elsie  guessed  its  full  meaning. 


56  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 


CHAPTER   V. 

It  was  the  middle  of  April.  Already  in  sheltered 
corners  the  thin  blades  of  grass  were  fringing  the 
walks  and  telling  mutely  of  the  stir  at  their  roots. 
The  sky  had  an  unwonted  tint  of  blue,  and  occasional 
breezes  came  up  from  the  Southland  laden  with  the 
balm  and  spice  of  the  new-born  earth.  Hooded  in 
their  green  cloaks,  the  dandelions  lifted  their  yellow 
heads  and  took  a  sly  peep  from  their  enveloping 
fringes.  The  crocuses  were  just  ready  to  laugh,  and 
the  purple  bells  of  the  wild  hyacinth  were  tinkling  un- 
heard in  the  soft  air.  The  robins  were  hilarious  in 
the  intoxication  of  hope,  and  Elsie  and  Antoine  were 
endeavoring  to  rival  them  in  the  ever-recurring  joy  and 
promise  of  the  spring.  They  were  in  the  garden  at 
Idlewild ;  Antoine  in  his  wheel  chair,  and  Elsie  pre- 
tending to  wield  a  trowel  around  the  roots  of  a  few 
straggling  rose  bushes.  She  was  an  indifferent  worker, 
however,  for  every  now  and  then  Antoine  v/ould  catch 
the  bursting  refrain  of  some  over-joyous  robin,  and 
throwing  back  his  handsome  head,  would  imitate  it  so 
closely  as  to  call  forth  rapturous  applause  from  Elsie 
and  a  chorus  of  answers  from  neighboring  trees. 
Presently  Elsie  began  to  purse  her  red  lips  in  a  wild 
attempt   to   rival   Antoine   and    the   birds.     Each   at- 


A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY.  5/ 

tempt  was  followed  by  gay  bursts  of  laughter  such  as 
can  issue  only  from  the  lips  of  children  and  the  ut- 
terly care-free. 

"  It  is  no  use,"  said  Elsie  after  awhile.  *'  I  never 
can  be  a  bird." 

"  Then  you  can't  fly  away  from  me,"  said  Antoine 
gravely,  laying  a  thin  hand  upon  Elsie's  cotton-gloved 
ones. 

"  Would  it  grieve  you  if  I  should  ?  " 

"  It  has  been  heaven  since  you  came,"  said  the  lad 
simply. 

''  I  don't  believe  you  know  what  heaven  is,  if  a  mad- 
cap girl  like  me  can  make  it  for  you." 

*'  I've  read  somewhere  that  '  heaven  lies  in  a  woman's 
eyes ; '  but  I  suppose  that  was  meant  for  full-grown 
men,  not  for  little  chaps  like  me.  It  is  heaven  all  the 
same  to  find  a  companion — one  who  can  laugh  before  I 
do.     Ma  mere  always  laughs  a/te7\" 

"'  Did  you  laugh  a  great  deal  before  I  came  ?  " 

"  No,  I  only  laughed  when  ma  mere  was  looking.  I 
had  to  do  it  to  keep  the  tears  out  of  her  voice.  Oh, 
I've  been  so  lonely,  ahvays  thinking,  thinking,  and  I 
wanted  not  to  think." 

'•'  Dear  child,  don't  let  us  begin  now.  At  least  we'll 
put  sad  thoughts  away.  Have  you  found  your  blos- 
som for  the  home  circle  to-night  ?  " 

*'  Not  yet.  Miss  Margaret  said  it  must  grow  from 
the  soil  of  our  daily  life,  and  nothing  seems  to  grow 
in  my  soil." 

"  Listen,  Antoine.  You  say  I  make  heaven  for  you 
because    I    can    bring    you    laugliter.      Has   not    that 


58  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

thought  grown  in  the  barren  soil  you  complain  of  ? 
Now  make  a  blossom  out  of  the  root  and  stalk." 

"  I  am  too  dull.  You  will  not  let  me  enter  the  cir- 
cle if  I  show  you  how  little  I  can  make  a  thought.  I 
only  live  when  I  forget  myself  and  everything  around 
me  in  somebody  else.     I  am  such  a  useless  lad." 

*'  No,  no,  you  must  not  allow  yourself  to  think  such 
things.  See  what  a  comfort  you  are  to  your  mother; 
and  how  I  delight  in  that  odd  little  head  of  yours. 
I  neglect  my  work  to  talk  to  you,  and  shall  have  Mar- 
garet scolding  presently,"  answered  Elsie,  picking  up 
her  trowel  and  giving  one  or  two  energetic  digs  at 
the  sod  about  a  rose  bush. 

"  Miss  Margaret  never  scolds,  I  am  sure,"  said  An- 
toine  emphatically.  "  But  oh,  if  I  could  run  and  leap 
and  work!  "     The  words  ended  in  a  half-sob. 

"  We  all  have  our  appointed  tasks,  Antoine,"  said 
Elsie  softly.  "  Some  are  made  to  do  and  some  are 
made  to  bear." 

"  Mine  always  to  bear!  "  exclaim.ed  the  lad  bitterly. 
"  Never  to  be  a  man  with  a  man's  hopes  and  ambi- 
tions.    Just  a  little  dried-up  mummy " 

^'  There,  there !  "  interrupted  Elsie,  taking  the  flushed 
face  between  her  hands  and  kissing  it.  ''  Not  very 
much  of  a  mummy  with  such  a  vehement  tongue  as 
that.  Dear  child,  let  us  put  the  inevitable  away. 
Heavy  as  the  cross  is,  love  lightens  it,  and  love 
will  always  be  yours.  No  one  can  look  at  you  with- 
out loving  you." 

"  For  what  ?  "  asked  the  lad  eagerly.  ''  For  my  mis- 
fortune, or  what  other  reason  ?  " 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  59 

"  For  the  spirit  in  those  dark  eyes  and  the  atmos- 
phere of  lov^c  that  radiates  from  you.  The  spirit  is 
greater  than  the  body,  and  life  need  not  be  useless  to 
you  nor  you  to  life." 

"  And  is  there  more  to  hope  for  than  the  pity  that 
says  *  poor  child  '  when  it  looks  at  me  ?  " 

Breathlessly  Antoine  asked  the  question,  and  as 
breathlessly  seemed  to  hang  on  Elsie's  words:  ''  Men 
crippled  like  you,  Antoine,  have  made  the  world  pause 
to  wonder  at  their  powers,  and  hail  in  reverent  ac- 
claim the  genius  that  is  immeasurably  above  mere 
physical  perfection." 

'*  But  I  haven't  any  genius,"  said  Antoine  with  a  dis- 
appointed sigh.     "  I  have  only  one  intense  longing." 

"  For  Vv'hat  ?     Tell  me." 

''You  will  laugh  at  me." 

"  Not  for  the  world." 

''  Well,  then,"  and  Antoine's  pale  face  flushed  with 
the  energy  of  desire,  "  for  music.  To  pour  out  my 
soul  in  wordless  utterances  like  the  birds;  to  rise,  to 
float  on  waves  of  song,  away  above  everybody." 

The  little  thin  hands  were  clasped  together  in  an 
ecstasy  of  feeling,  and  the  bent  body  was  restlessly 
swaying  back  and  forth  among  the  cushions. 

"  Have  you  ever  tried  ?  "  asked  Elsie  simply. 

"  No ;  ma  mere  doesn't  even  know  it.  She  says  I 
whistle  like  a  bird,  and  that  is  all  she  knows.  She  is 
too  poor  to  buy  me  anything  to  make  music  with." 

"  What  would  you  like  ?  " 

''  I  think  I  could  play  the  violin  best,  for  that 
doesn't  need  anything  but  arms  to  bring  out  the  ex- 


6o  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

pression.  Ah,  what  joy  it  would  be  to  make  some- 
thing talk  for  me,  to  me,  I  knozv,  Elsie,  I  could  teach 
it  to  say  the  things  in  here  that  are  so  dumb  now  be- 
cause they  have  no  way  to  speak,"  and  the  restless 
hands  clutched  his  breast  as  he  spoke. 

''Wait  a  moment,"  exclaimed  Elsie,  jumping  up 
quickly  and  running  into  the  house.  She  was  back  in 
less  than  a  moment  with  an  old  violin  case  in  her 
hand. 

"Ah!  "  she  exclaimed,  seeing  the  light  of  eager  ex- 
pectancy spring  into  Antoine's  eyes.  "'  Don't  be  too 
sure  of  anything.  I  found  this  in  the  rubbish  when 
we  moved.  I  don't  think  it  was  poor  father's.  I  never 
heard  him  play  it.  By  the  way,  I  believe  it  was  left  at 
our  house  by  some  stranger.  Indeed,  Antoine,  we 
never  had  any  gayety  in  our  home.  It  was  only  just 
the  serenity  of  well-performed  duty,  unless  I  whirled 
into  a  storm  for  a  change.  But  now,  Antoine,  if  this 
fiddle  can  sing,  we'll  have  a  little  gayety,  won't  we  ?  " 

'' Oh,  won't  we!"  echoed  Antoine,  as  Elsie  busied 
herself  with  removing  the  sack  in  which  the  violin  had 
been  carefully  tied.  Alas!  the  violin  had  but  one 
string,  and  not  a  shadow  of  any  other  to  be  found  in 
sack  or  case. 

''Well,  it's  evidently  whole,"  said  Elsie,  thumping 
the  back,  "  and  strings  can  be  bought.  Take  the  bow, 
Antoine,  and  wake  the  echoes  with  one  string.  We'll 
make  a  noise,  at  any  rate." 

Antoine  took  the  old  violin  and  examined  it  care- 
fully, thumping  the  one  bass  string  with  the  gravity 
of  discovery.     Once  or  twice  he  adjusted  it  under  his 


A   NEW    ARISTOCRACY.  6 1 

chin,  and  made  a  motion  as  if  to  draw  the  bow  across 
the  string.     Suddenly  he  stopped. 

*'  No,"  he  said  decidedly,  "  until  there  is  a  voice  I 
cannot  speak,  and  even  then,  Elsie,  how  do  I  know  I 
shall  not  fail  ?  I  know  I  shall  with  you  watching  me. 
Some  time  when  the  strings  are  on  the  violin  and  I  am 
all  alone,  and  I  feel  the  song  bird  here  in  my  breast,  I 
will  try.  Something  tells  me  I  shall  succeed — that  it 
is  my  life,  my  hope ;  but  I  do  not  know,  after  all,"  and 
over  the  dark  eyes  stole  the  cloud  of  despair  that  so 
often  makes  the  bravest  genius  fearful  of  its  own 
weakness. 

"  We  will  make  it  hope  for  you  because  we  will 
work  for  it,  dear,"  answered  Elsie.  "  Even  genius  is 
nothing  without  work." 

Antoine  did  not  answer,  and  Elsie,  noticing  the 
cloud  still  hovering  over  the  lad's  face,  pushed  his 
chair  to  the  other  end  of  the  garden,  where  Margaret, 
Lizzette,  and  Gilbert  were  busied  over  cold  frames  and 
garden  beds.  Looking  over  the  low  paling  that  sep- 
arated Margaret's  garden  from  that  of  Lizzette,  they 
could  already  see  the  tender  green  of  early  vegeta- 
bles showing  through  the  glass  plates  of  the  hot  beds. 
Lizzete  eyed  them  approvingly. 

*'  Next  year  you  sail  rival  me,"  she  said,  laying  a 
brown  hand  on  Margaret's  shoulder.  ''  But  nefer  fear 
— zere  ees  room  for  bof  in  zis  world.  We  nezair  of 
us  grow  reech,  c'est  vrai ;  but  we  lif  and  zat  ees  some- 
sing.  Ah,  Gilbeart,  you  lose  von  goot  foot  zere.  Now 
put  it  zis  way  and  see  your  frame  couvair  so  mooch 
more  ground.     Eet  ees  ze  inch  saved  zat  makes  ze  foot 


62  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

gained  in  ze  market  garden.  See!  Can  you  find  von 
inch  to  spare  in  zat  leetle  space  of  mine  ?  Eet  all  yields, 
and  yet  Lizzette  Minaud  ees  une  tres  pauvre  femme." 

"  Poverty  is  a  relative  term,  you  know.  Enough 
to  eat,  to  wear,  and  to  grow  on  are  all  that  any  one 
needs.  It  is  in  the  enough,  however,  that  lies  the 
division  of  opinion,"  said  Margaret  as  she  helped  Gil- 
bert adjust  the  frame  to  Lizzette's  satisfaction. 

"Zat  ees  true;  but  as  ze  world  look  at  us  vv'e  haf 
very  leetle." 

''But  if  we  have  contentment  therewith,  we  have 
everything,"  answered  Margaret.  At  this  juncture 
Elsie,  who  had  wheeled  Antoine  into  the  path  beside 
her  sister,  broke  out  impetuously: 

"  Margaret  Murchison,  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you 
are  perfectly  contented  ?  I  don't  believe  one  word  of 
it.  You  are  not  contented,  for  if  3/ou  were  you  wouldn't 
be  striving  with  might  and  main  to  earn  the  vrhere- 
withal  to  make  a  gentleman  of  Gilbert  and  a  lady  of 
me.  You'd  let  us  remain  clodhoppers  to  the  end  of 
our  days.  It  is  all  nonsense  to  preach  contentment 
when  your  actions  give  the  lie  to  your  words." 

Margaret  glanced  up  quickly  at  the  vehement  asser- 
tion. 

"  There  is  a  difference  betv/een  the  contentment 
that  has  only  stagnation  in  it,  and  that  which  is  satis- 
fied to  grow  under  the  conditions  which  environ  it 
until  the  time  ripens  for  wider  growth  and  leafage. 
If  I  am  contented  it  is  because  I  am  willing  to  v\^ork 
step  by  step  and  inch  by  inch  as  the  way  unfolds. 
There  is  only  disaster  in  trying  to  reach  the  height  at 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  63 

a  single  bound.  Order  is  subverted  and  reason  im- 
peded in  such  attempts." 

''  My  wise  sister,  put  on  my  harness  and  teach  me 
to  trot  soberly  by  your  side.  I  do  so  want  to  jump 
the  gates  for  a  wild  run,  and  forget  harness,  duty,  and 
all  the  unpleasant  things  of  life.  Antoine  and  I  have 
been  trying  to  be  birds  this  morning." 

''  You  didn't  succeed,  I  conclude." 

"Well,  no;  at  least  I  didn't.  Wings  v/ill  never  grow 
for  me,  but  Antoine  is  going  to  rival  the  birds  some 
day.  See  here!  I  found  this  among  the  rubbish  in 
father's  study,  and  Gilbert  when  next  he  goes  to  the 
city  shall  get  the  strings,  and  when  Antoine  has 
learned  to  mJrror  his  soul  in  music  I'll " 

"What  will  you  do?"  asked  Margaret  soberly,  as 
Elsie  paused  for  breath. 

"Dance  my  vv^ay  into  fame!  Now  don't  look  so 
horrified,  or  I  shall  think  you  are  going  to  be  a  '  Miss 
Prunes  and  Prisms '  instead  of  the  good  wholesome 
'sister '  Dr.  Ely  thinks  you  are." 

Elsie  watched  with  sparkling  eyes  the  pink  flush 
on  Margaret's  cheek,  and  a  moment  later  mischiev- 
ously intensified  it  by  saying:  "I  wonder  how  the 
staid  Dr.  Ely  would  relish  hearing  the  world  say  that 
the  sister  of " 

"  Elsie !  "  exclaimed  Margaret  apprehensively. 

"  I  was  merely  going  to  say — of  the  lady  he  ad- 
mires so  much  was  premier  danseuse  at  the  Stand- 
ard ? " 

Elsie  was  half-way  to  the  house  by  the  time  she  had 
explained  herself. 


64  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

*^  Oh,  cet  Elsie!"  exclaimed  Lizzette  with  a  laugh. 
''  What  fire,  v/hat  verve  zere  ees  under  zat  pretty  head." 

"She's  a  great  puzzle  to  me,"  said  Margaret  some- 
what sadly.  "  I  really  fear  she'll  burn  her  wings  yet. 
I  hope  I  can  keep  her  out  of  the  candle." 

"  She'll  keep  herself  out."  exclaimed  Antoine  ener- 
getically. *'  She's  got  a  heap  of  good  sense;  but  she's 
just  like  some  wild  bird,  made  to  be  gay  and  beautiful 
all  her  life." 

"  She's  been  dropped  in  a  sorry  corner  of  the  world, 
if  that  is  her  destiny.  There  is  little  hope  of  anything 
but  the  daily  drill  of  duty  in  this  household,"  an- 
swered Margaret. 

''  She'll  never  drill  under  any  other  captain  than 
love,"  said  Antoine  with  a  smile  up  into  Margaret's 
grave  face. 

"  And  he'll  have  to  be  a  pretty  lively  fellow  to  keep 
up  with  her  antics,  too,"  said  Gilbert  as  he  leaned  his 
hoe  against  the  fence  and  took  up  the  fiddle  to  exam- 
ine it. 

Margaret's  face  grew  thoughtful  as  she  heaped  the 
earth  about  the  frame.  ''  Love,  love,"  said  she  to  her- 
self. "  After  all,  it  is  like  the  sun,  the  vivifying  influ- 
ence of  the  world,  and  duty  sounds  cold  beside  it.  I 
must  find  out  what  it  is  that  is  trying  to  burst  its 
bonds  in  my  little  girl's  bosom.  It  may  be  I  am  too 
slow  and  dull  for  the  gay  spring-time  that  is  budding 
there." 

"Antoine,"  she  exclaimed  presently,  "Gilbert  shall 
fix  up  the  old  fiddle  and  you  shall  learn  to  wake  us 
up.     I  believe  we've  been  too  sleepy  for  Elsie." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  65 

"  O  Miss  Margaret !  she  is  so  lovely  and  so  are 
you,"  he  added  naively. 

''The  old  fiddle,  Antoine,"  said  Margaret,  respon- 
sively  patting  the  boy's  hand,  "  the  old  fiddle  has  a 
history.  Some  eight  or  nine  years  ago  my  father 
took  into  his  house  a  sick  man,  who  came  apparently 
from  nowhere  and  was  apparently  journeying  to  the 
same  place.  He  was  very  ill  when  he  came  to  the 
house,  and  begged  for  a  night's  lodging  and  supper. 
My  father  never  turned  any  one  who  was  hungry  from 
his  door,  and  so  he  came  among  us,  and  sat  all  the 
evening  a  silent  figure  in  the  chimney  corner  until  bed- 
time. He  had  nothing  with  him  but  a  bundle  tied  up 
in  a  red  handkerchief  and  the  fiddle.  My  father,  with 
a  delicacy  which  was  characteristic  of  him,  did  not 
even  ask  the  man  his  name,  and  so  we  never  knew 
who  he  was,  nor  where  his  friends  were,  if  he  had  any. 
About  midnight  we  were  all  awakened  by  strains  of 
the  weirdest  music  ;  sometimes  so  sad  and  wailing  that 
it  seemed  like  a  human  being  in  agonies  of  pain,  again 
as  gay  and  glad  as  any  chansonette,  with  here  and 
there  bird  notes  so  sweet  and  clear  one  could  almost 
hear  the  forest  echoes,  and  then  the  maddest,  wildest, 
most  rollicking  melodies  breaking  in  upon  it  all.  At 
last  it  stopped  with  a  discordant  crash  of  the  bow 
across  the  strings,  and  father  stepped  to  the  door  of 
the  sick  man's  chamber,  to  find  him  lying  across  the 
bed  raving  in  delirium.  We  nursed  him  through  a 
two-days'  illness,  and  then  he  died  without  having 
told  us  a  word  of  himself.  There  was  nothing  to  in- 
dicate who  or  what  he  was  in  his  little  bundle,  and  so 
5 


66  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

that  and  the  vIoHn  were  put  away  and  nearly  forgot- 
ten until  we  came  across  them  in  moving.  I  am  glad 
Antoine  is  going  to  have  the  violin.  My  grave  father 
had  no  use  for  it." 

During  the  recital  of  Margaret's  story,  Lizzette 
Minaud  had  stood  a  rapt  listener,  her  brown  face 
working  with  some  unwonted  emotion.  When  Mar- 
garet had  finished  she  said  huskily,  "  Ze  violin  for  An- 
toine, Miss  Margaret  ?  C'est  tres-bon.  I  tank  you  so 
mooch.  Now  Antoine  will  pour  out  his  soul ;  he  ees 
so  like  son  pere,  mon  pauvre  Jacques — ah  Dieu !  oii 
est-il  ?  " 

"  Is  he  not  dead  ?  "  asked  Margaret  in  surprise. 

"  Non.  When  Antoine  two  year  old,  he  go  look  for 
work.  He  promise  me  to  come  back  soon ;  mais  le 
temps — c'est  long,  long.  I  nevair  hear  von  word. 
I  know  notings  if  he  be  living  or  dead.  But  ze  violin 
eet  bring  back  ze  memories.  Mon  Jacques  he  love  eet 
so,  and  play  tres-bien." 

"  Ma  mere  !  ma  mere!  "  cried  Antoine,  throwing  up 
his  arms  at  sight  of  Lizzette's  agitated  face. 

"  Chut !  chut !  "  answered  Lizzette,  bending  down  to 
kiss  him.  "  C'est  passe,  mon  garcon.  Now  we  will 
be  gay  like  ze  birds,  and  happy  ze  livelong  day." 

Margaret  had  slipped  away  during  the  little  collo- 
quy between  Lizzette  and  Antoine,  and  presently  re- 
turned with  a  small  bundle  carefully  tied  up  in  an  old 
bandana  handkerchief.  Untying  the  knot,  she  spread 
its  contents  open  to  view. 

"  Mon  Dieu  !  mon  Dieu  !  "  cried  the  voluble  French- 
woman, clutching   the  handkerchief  and    falling  in  a 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  6/ 

paroxysm  of  weeping  at  Margaret's  feet.  "  Ze  cush- 
ion I  made  for  him;  ze  hair  comb;  ze  neccessaire — I 
know  all,  all.  Mon  pauvre  Jacques!  And  you,  Miss 
Margaret,  ze  angel,  ze  comforter  of  his  last  hours  ? 
Plut  a  Dieu !  cet  I  too  might  have  been  wiz  him.  Ze 
violin,  celui  de  votre  pere,  Antoine.  Le  bon  Dieu ! 
Zese  friends,  ze  violin,  ze  kind  care  de  mon  pauvre 
Jacques,  votre  pere — ah  !  my  heart  ees  bursting  wiv  ze — 
ze — gratefulness.  I  weep  my  eyes  away,"  and  the 
affectionate  creature  clung  to  Margaret's  skirts  in  a 
bewilderment  of  grief,  wonder,  and  joy. 

"  It  seems  like  a  miracle,"  said  Margaret,  stooping 
to  raise  Lizzette  from  the  ground.  "  But  it  only  shows 
how  small  the  world  is  and  how  interdependent  we 
are.     We  shall  be  still  warmer  friends  after  this." 

Antoine,  a  mute  but  agitated  witness  of  the  scene, 
reached  out  a  hand  to  Elsie,  who  had  stolen  quietly 
beside  his  chair. 

"How  strange,  how  dear,  how  beautiful  it  all  is!" 
he  exclaimed. 


68  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY, 


CHAPTER   VI. 

That  evening,  gathered  in  the  little  sitting-room  at 
Idlewild,  were  the  five  people  who  made  up  the  Home 
Circle  Club  which  Margaret  had  organized,  and  who, 
Elsie  laughingly  said,  "  represented  the  bone  and  sinew 
of  the  '  new  aristocracy '  which  was  to  revolutionize 
the  Avorld." 

"Only  think,"  she  exclaimed  before  Margaret  had 
gravely  called  the  meeting  to  order.  "  Only  think  of 
the  greatness  concentrated  here !  In  my  grave  sister 
I  recognize  the  *  Morning  Star  '  of  the  new  reformation  ; 
a  second.  Wickliffe  with  the  mantle  of  peace  and  gen- 
tleness bravely  wrapped  about  her  slight  form.  In 
Gilbert  another  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  who  shall  discover  a 
new  law  of  gravitation,  which  shall  make  the  gold  of 
the  miser  fall  of  its  own  volition  into  the  outstretched 
hands  of  the  philanthropist.  In  Antoine  a  later 
Corelli,  who  shall  render  all  these  aspirations  into  a 
new  classic  for  the  benefit  of  future  generations;  and 
in  ma  mere  an  Archestratus,  who  shall,  in  verifying 
Voltaire's  enthusiasm,  *  qu'un  cuisinier  est  un  mortel 
divin,'  solidify  this  band  of  enthusiasts  with  the  ma- 
terial offering  of  something  good  to  eat." 

"And  you  ?  "  asked  Margaret. 

"The  unfortunate  mortal  upon  whom  you  will  all 
practice." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  69 

"  I  should  like  to  begin  by  subjecting  you  to  the  law 
oi gravity,''  exclaimed  Gilbert. 

''  Never  fear,"  said  Margaret.  "  Time  will  bring  grav- 
ity soon  enough,  and  Elsie  can't  throw  stones  at  us 
without  endangering  her  own  enthusiasms.  Her  next 
new  dish  will  be  our  opportunity,  Gilbert." 

"  Unless  I  put  a  guard  over  it." 

"  Will  the  meeting  please  come  to  order  ?  "  said  Mar- 
garet soberly.  Elsie  subsided  into  her  corner  and 
Antoine  lay  back  among  his  cushions,  and  listened  with 
interest  to  Margaret's  statement  of  the  purposes  of 
the  little  home  club.  ''The  first  part  of  our  plan  is  to 
develop  thought,  and  we  have  decided  that  such 
thought  must  come  to  us  in  response  to  our  daily 
needs  or  grow  out  of  our  daily  work.  We  therefore 
expect  each  member  to  bring  what  we  will  call  a  blos- 
som for  the  wreath  of  every-day  living;  this  blossom 
may  be  perhaps  a  wayside  weed  or  a  cherished  bloom 
of  some  inner  chamber  of  the  heart.  Nothing  is  too 
small  or  simple  for  this  wreath,  so  that  out  of  it  we 
may  extract  some  consolation,  hope,  or  purpose. 
Upon  these  thoughts  that  are  thrown  together,  and 
which  shall  be  kept  in  a  record  book,  will  depend  the 
evening's  reading.  In  this  way  we  think  the  demands 
of  our  mental  and  moral  needs  will  be  best  satisfied. 
Elsie,  what  have  you  to  offer  ?  " 

The  mischief  had  apparently  died  out  of  Elsie's  face 
as  she  answered  :  ''A  good  many  things  have  come  to 
me  to-day;  but  the  most  pronounced  thought  has  been 
the  despair  of  enthusiasm  and  the  futility  of  the  most 
earnest  effort.     I   burned  with  the  desire  of  a  Fran- 


70  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

catelli  to  achieve  an  omelette;  but  having  no  eggs  the 
earnestness  of  purpose  failed  me." 

A  ripple  of  laughter  greeted   Elsie's  announcement. 

"Wanted,"  exclaimed  Gilbert,  "a.  new  invention  for 
making  hens  lay;  otherwise  the  foundation  of  our  cas- 
tle in  Spain  will  not  be  equal  to  its  walls." 

"  Now,  Antoine,"  said  Margaret,  "  let  us  hear  from 
you." 

"  The  day  has  been  good  to  me,"  replied  the  lad, 
**  for  in  it  I  have  learned  how  sweet  it  is  to  hope." 

"And  I,"  said  Lizzette,  "haf  found  zat  friendship 
haf  no  price." 

"While  I,"  asserted  Gilbert,  "  have  found  a  boy's 
back  can  ache  a  great  deal  harder  at  work  than  at  play." 

"  Now,  Margaret,"  asked  Elsie,  "  how  are  you  going 
to  philosophize  over  the  want  of  eggs  and  a  boy's 
back  ?  These  incorrigible  facts  take  the  poetry  out 
of  our  plan,  I  am  afraid." 

"  Not  in  the  least.  It  is  the  very  thing  we  are  en- 
deavoring to  do,  make  our  philosophy  fit  our  material 
wants.  It  may  be  that  the  world  wouldn't  call  our 
reasoning  by  so  dignified  a  name;  but  we  don't  care 
for  that.  This  is  our  world,  and  into  it  we  are  striv- 
ing to  bring  as  much  of  both  earthly  and  divine  sus- 
tenance as  will  best  fit  us  to  receive  the  greatest 
amount  of  happiness.  Therefore,  since  eggs  will  con- 
tribute to  the  mental  balance  and  physical  well-being 
of  Elsie,  to  say  nothing  of  the  rest  of  us,  we  must  look 
up  some  information  regarding  henneries.  The  gar- 
den planted,  Gilbert  must  exercise  his  ingenuity  in 
building  one,  while  the  rest  of  us " 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  7 1 

"  Devise  some  means  of  making  a  hen  lay  two  eggs 
a  day,"  interposed  Elsie. 

"  Elsie,  I  am  ashamed  of  you,"  exclaimed  Margaret 
with  forced  severity.  *'  To  think  that  already  you  de- 
velop the  greed  of  a  monopolist." 

"  Well,  what  is  Eutopia  good  for,  if  it  doesn't  make 
all  doors  swing  back  with  the  '  open  sesame '  of  good 
wishes  ?  " 

"  Good  to  hope  for,"  said  Gilbert  dryly. 

"  And  to  work  for,"  added  Margaret  quietly. 

"  And  ze  hope  and  ze  work  keep  ze  world  moving. 
But  ze  boy's  back,  Mees  Margaret,  zat  is  a  question 
not  yet  answered." 

''A  good  game  of  base-ball  would  cure  that,  eh,  Gil- 
bert?" 

''  I  protest,"  exclaimed  Elsie,  "  against  any  more 
nonsense  this  evening.  On  our  first  grand  opening  to 
be  found  on  such  a  lamentably  low  plane  is  belittling 
to  our  great  aims.  There  has  not  been  a  word  said 
yet  about  the  crying  need  of  our  country,  the  de- 
plorable condition  of  labor,  the  injustice  of  our  gov- 
ernment, etc.,  etc.  Will  not  our  serene  presidentess 
inform  her  breathless  audience  how  we  are  to  strike  at 
the  roots  of  these  evils  at  once  ?  " 

"  Chiefly  by  attending  to  our  owm  business.  In  the 
breast  of  each  individual  lies  the  power  of  bettering 
himself,  and  as  we  better  ourselves  intellectually  and 
morally,  as  w^ell  as  materially,  by  so  much  we  better 
the  world." 

"  It  sounds  easy,"  said  Elsie  dubiously. 

*'  It  is  easy,"  said   Margaret  firmly.     "  Grind  out  of 


72  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

our  hearts  the  selfish  love  of  ease  that  creates  the  un- 
holy desire  to  build  up  ourselves  by  pulling  others 
down,  and  bravely  resolve  to  shirk  no  plain  duty,  and 
the  battle  is  half-won.  Now  let  us  turn  to  the  real 
business  of  the  evening.  I  have  laid  out  a  line  of  his- 
tory work  for  the  first  half-hour ;  for  the  second,  belles- 
lettres  and  poetry;  for  the  third,  discussion;  and  for 
the  last,  music." 

"  From  Antoine's  violin  ?  " 

"Yes,  and  from  an  organ  to  accompany  him." 

"  Has  the  organ  materialized  ?  "  asked  Elsie,  gazing 
incredulously  around  the  room. 

"  It  shall  to-morrow.  We  can  obtain  one  by  monthly 
payments,  and  only  a  little  plainer  living,  fewer 
clothes,  and  the  thing  can  be  managed.  I'll  agree  to 
wear  calico  all  the  time,  even  Sundays  if  need  be." 

"And  I  won't  even  think  oi  a  ribbon,"  exclaimed 
Elsie,  with  a  mischievous  twinkle  shining  through  eyes 
that  were  suspiciously  misty. 

"Amen,"  said  Gilbert.  "  I'll  Avear  patches  and  play 
'  bones.'  " 

Lizzette  and  Antoine  said  nothing;  but  a  look  of 
intelligence  passed  between  them,  which  told  of  a  pur- 
pose they  did  not  care  to  mention  just  then.  And  so 
the  little  Home  Circle  Club  was  arranged.  Three 
evenings. in  the  week  the  programme  came  to  be  suc- 
cessfully carried  out.  Margaret  kept  a  record  of  all 
the  proceedings,  carefully  noting  down  the  doubts  and 
difficulties  that  beset  them,  and  as  carefully  adding 
all  truths  that  came  to  help  them.  The  music  of  the 
violin  and   organ  was   not  a  startling  success  at   first, 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  73 

for  the  empty  purse  prevented  all  thought  of  tuition 
except  that  furnished  by  self-teaching  manuals;  but 
as  exceptional  genius  lay  beneath  Antoine's  curly 
locks,  and  Elsie  was  an  uncommonly  bright  scholar, 
it  was  not  long  before  the  two  young  heads  had 
solved  the  puzzling  rudiments  of  music,  and  were  on 
their  way  toward  a  tolerable  amount  of  proficiency. 
Antoine  was  a  new  being.  His  mother  affirmed  that 
the  music  would  cure  him.  A  faint  color  tinged  the 
hitherto  pale  cheeks,  and  an  unusual  sparkle  lit  up  the 
dark  eyes.  It  would  have  been  hard  to  find  a  happier 
group  of  people  than  the  five  at  Idlewild.  They 
were  like  one  family  in  their  interests  and  efforts. 
Lizzette  flitted  in  and  out  of  both  domiciles,  intent 
now  on  Elsie's  cooking,  now  on  Antoine's  music, 
which  came  to  her  ears  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and 
night— for  the  violin  had  grown  to  be  like  a  living 
companion  to  the  crippled  lad — now  helping  Gilbert 
and  Margaret  In  the  garden  or  gravely  puzzling  over 
some  of  the  English  books  on  Margaret's  table.  They 
were  all  busy,  cheerful,  and  conscious  that  they  were 
making  progress,  intellectually  and  materially.  Liz- 
zette's  experience  had  been  the  safeguard  over  Mar- 
garet's efforts  in  the  garden.  It  was  prospering  finely, 
and  already  Lizzette  had  sold  at  her  stall  in  the  market 

at  C enough  to  make  Margaret  feel  that  her  hard 

days  of  work  with  hoe  and  spade  were  sometimes  sure 
to  be  well  rewarded.  As  the  season  progressed  the 
work  in  the  garden  required  additional  help.  In  an 
old  negro  woman,  known  to  everybody  in  the  neigh- 
borhood as  ''  Aunt   Liza,"  together  with  her  son  Eph, 


74  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

Margaret  found  the  needed  assistance.  Often  she 
worked  beside  them,  finding  as  acquaintance  pro- 
gressed a  perpetual  source  of  annoyance  in  the  aim- 
less and  half-hearted  way  in  which  they  worked.  Ir- 
responsibility seemed  to  be  with  them  the  predominat- 
ing characteristic,  and  strive  as  she  would  against  it, 
she  frequently  found  her  efforts  not  much  more  suc- 
cessful than  so  much  writing  in  water.  They  would 
both  listen  to  her  instructions  with  serious  but  blank 
faces,  and  relapse  at  once  into  that  indolent  method 
which  was  a  continual  thorn  in  Margaret's  New  Eng- 
land thrift.  It  was  her  first  serious  stumbling-block 
on  the  way  to  that  high  plane  of  achievement  where- 
on she  had  made  no  allowance  for  the  thriftless,  the 
ignorant,  and  the  irresponsible.  To  her  well-regulated 
mind,  all  people  oiigJit  to  be  industrious,  patient,  and 
ambitious,  and  it  was  a  keen  thrust  against  her  com- 
posure to  be  brought  into  contact  with  the  unpromis- 
ing side  of  human  nature.  It  was  not  so  much  that  the 
two  did  not  earn  the  wages  she  paid  them,  as  that  she 
saw  failure,  suffering,  misfortune  before  the  tA\o  un- 
thinking mortals.  She  felt  a  moral  responsibility  in 
endeavoring  to  set  their  feet  aright,  and  so  tried  in 
numberless  little  ways  to  impress  upon  them  a  faint 
idea  of  the  requirements  of  life.  She  found  in  the 
little  hut  where  they  lived  a  deplorable  poverty,  and 
undertook  to  question  Liza,  who  in  the  summer,  to- 
gether Avith  Eph,  earned  fairly  good  wages,  how  it 
happened  that  they  were  so  poor. 

''  Dunno,    Miss    Margaret,"   answered    Liza  with    a 
grin.     "  Spec  somehow  me  an'  Eph  ain't  got  no  way 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  75 

of  sabin'.  In  the  summer  time  we  has  'nough  ter  cat, 
and  we  firgits  about  de  cold,  and  so  when  de  winter 
comes,  folks  'bout  here  is  mighty  good,  and  don't  let 
us  go  hungry,  and  that's  jes'  de  way  we  gits  thru." 

"  But  wouldn't  you  rather  save  a  part  of  your  wages 
in  the  summer  and  fix  up  the  cabin  good  and  warm, 
and  be  able  to  feed  yourself  and  have  people  respect 
you  ?  " 

''  Spec  'twould  seem  better  to  have  de  old  cabin 
fixed  up ;  but  as  for  folks  'spectin'  ole  Aunt  Liza  and 
nigger  Eph — yah!  yah!  I  reckon,  Miss  Margaret, 
yer  ain't  lived  long  o'  niggers  much." 

Liza's  fat  sides  shook  with  unctuous  laughter  as  she 
looked  up  into  Margaret's  face. 

"  No,"  said  Margaret,  *'  but  I  think  every  one  is  en- 
titled to  respect  who  earns  it,  whether  he  is  black  or 
white." 

"  P'raps  that's  so,"  assented  Liza,  "  but  niggers  ain't 
white  folks,  nohow.  They's  a  pore  down-trodden  race 
fo'  suah,"  she  added,  catching  the  whine  of  some  clap- 
trap orator.  "  Dey  jes'  don't  know  how  to  be  any 
better." 

'*  They  can  learn." 

"  Mighty  hard  work  teach  a  nigger ;  dey's  got  dreffel 
thick  skulls.  Niggers  is  the  comicalest  folks  too;  jes' 
gib  'em  a  chicken  bone  and  a  watermillion  and  dey 
don't  care  fo'  nuffin'  else,"  and  Aunt  Liza  stopped 
work  long  enough  to  chuckle  over  her  own  wit. 

''But  they  ought  to;  because  chicken  bones  and 
watermelons  don't  grow  on  every  bush.  They  ought 
to  learn  how  to   take  care   of  their  money,  and   buy 


"jd  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

little  homes  of  their  own,  and  grow  into  citizens  that 
are  honest  and  self-respecting," 

**  Specs  it  take  mighty  long  while  to  do  dat,  Miss 
Margaret.  Niggers  don't  have  nuffin'  mo'n  a  few  pen- 
nies at  a  time,  and  dey's  sartin  suah  to  git  away  jes' 
soon  as  dey  turns  roun'." 

''  Did  you  ever  count  up  how  much  money  there 
would  be  in  saving  five  cents  a  day  for  a  year,  or  even 
a  summer  ?  " 

''No,  don't  know  'nuff;  but  Eph  hyah's  been  to 
school.     Eph,  you  jes'  count  'em  up." 

"  Cain't  do  it.  Hain't  got  that  fur.  Ye  see,"  said 
he,  glad  of  a  chance  to  rise  from  his  cramped  position, 
with  the  ostensible  object  of  explaining  himself,  "  I's 
only  jes'  larned  de  A  B  abs  and  hain't  got  no  time  to 
go  no  mo'.     I's  got  to  hire  out  all  de  time." 

"  Well,  five  cents  a  day  for  six  days  in  a  week  make 
thirty  cents;  that  sum  for  fifty-two  weeks  in  a  year 
makes  the  sum  of  $15.60." 

"Ooeeh!"  exclaimed  Eph.  "  Dat's  mo'  money  'n 
I  ever  seed  at  a  time.  Jes'  five  cents'  yer  say?  How 
much  ef  it's  only  thru  de  summer  dat  we  sabes  it  ?  " 

"  That  depends  upon  how  many  months  you  work. 
If  you  work  from  April  to  November,  say  a  period  of 
twenty-six  weeks,  there  will  be  seven  dollars  and  eighty 
cents.  Would  not  that  go  a  good  way  in  helping  to 
clothe  and  feed  you  in  the  winter  ?  " 

"  Golly,  yes,"  exclaimed  Eph.  "  I  never  has  no 
clothes  when  the  col'  spells  come  on.  I's  alius  shiv- 
erin'  'roun'  in  de  winter  and  hopin'  fo'  spring." 

"  Eph,"  said  Aunt  Liza,  roused  by  Margaret's  arith- 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  7/ 

metic  into  an  unusual  interest,  "  jes'  s'posin'  we  'uns 
tries  dat  little  specolation.  Five  cents  hain't  a  drefful 
sight  ter  sabe  a  day,  but  it  do  heap  up  'mazin'  fast, 
dat's  so.  Jes'  let's  make  Miss  Margaret  hold  de  money 
fo'  us;  fo'  dar  ain't  no  use  o'  us  tryin'  ter  sabe  it.  It 
jes'  burn  holes  in  our  pockets  fo'  shuah." 

"  I's  agreed,"  answered  Eph,  getting  up  again  and 
making  an  elaborate  bow  to  Margaret.  "  Specs  Miss 
Margaret  tryin'  a  little  mission  on  us;  but  lawsee ! 
reckon  dar's  need  'nuff  of  it,  and  I's  putty  shuah  dar 
ain't  nobody  nicerer  to  be  banker  fo'  us." 

Having  delivered  this  speech,  Eph  leaned  up  against 
the  fence  with  the  air  of  having  supplied  a  long-felt 
want.     Margaret  smiled  and  began,  ''  I  am  afraid " 

'' Heah,  you  Eph!"  interrupted  Aunt  Liza,  picking 
up  a  clod  and  hurling  it  at  Eph's  head,  **  you  lazy 
nigger!  go  to  work,  or  yer  don't  git  no  five  cents  to 
sabe." 

Eph  cleverly  dodged  the  clod  and  leisurely  sank  to 
his  knees.  *'  Specs  Miss  Margaret  hain't  no  'bjections 
ter  actin'  as  ouah  banker,"  he  resumed  with  the 
utmost  complacency. 

^'  I  don't  believe  that's  the  best  plan.  Can't  you  lay 
it  up  yourselves,  and  resolve  not  to  touch  it  till  cold 
weather  comes  ?  " 

"  Shuah  fo'  sartin.  Miss  Margaret,  a  nigger  don't 
know  how  to  sabe  a  cent.  It  jes'  gits  away,  dat's  all. 
Onless  you's  our  banker,  like  Eph  say,  we  don't  git 
rich  by  time  col'  weather's  settlin'  down." 

Aunt  Liza,  unmindful  of  the  reproof  she  had  just 
administered  to   Eph,  sat   up  in  the   path,   and  with 


78  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

numerous  gesticulations  proceeded  to  emphasize  her 
statement.  "  It's  mighty  good  o'  yer,  Miss  Margaret, 
to  take  a  likin'  to  us  no-'count  niggers,  and  I's  jes* 
goln'  to  try  and  see  ef  dar  ain't  some  good  in  ouah  ole 
bones  aftah  all.  Ef  you'll  jes'  keep  ouah  sabin's  I'll 
make  dat  Eph  work  every  day  in  de  week  and  go 
huntin'  Sundays." 

"  Well,"  said  Margaret,  with  difficulty  repressing  a 
smile,  *'  ril  try  it.  Now  let's  see  if  these  two  rows 
can't  be  finished  by  noon." 

"  Meg,"  said  Elsie,  as  Margaret  came  wearily  into 
the  house  at  the  noon  hour,  "  what  have  you  been 
trying  to  do  with  those  good-for-nothing  '  cullud  pus- 
sons  '  out  there  ?  " 

"  Teach  them  a  little  responsibility,  that  is  all." 

"  My  sweet  sister,"  said  Elsie,  rapturously  kissing 
the  pale  face  as  she  drew  Margaret  down  into  a  rock- 
ing-chair, "  you  will  kill  yourself  with  trying  to  be  the 
world's  keeper." 

"  It  is  only  a  little  thing,  Elsie ;  the  cup  of  cold  water 
and  no  more." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  79 


CHAPTER  VII. 

It  was  June  before  the  little  Frenchwoman  would 
hear  to  Margaret's  making  any  effort  to  dispose  of  her 
produce  in  her  own  way.  Regularly  every  morning 
Lizzette  boarded  the  four-o'clock  train  for  the  city 
with  her  boxes  of  produce,  which  she  pushed  to  the 
train  in  the  hand-cart  and  wheeled  from  the  train  to 
her  stall  in  the  market.  Until  now  the  amount  yielded 
by  Margaret's  garden  had  been  small  in  bulk,  but  so 
well  had  it  thrived  under  Lizzette's  management  and 
the  comparatively  good  season,  that  the  more  bulky 
vegetables,  such  as  spinach,  peas,  beans,  etc.,  were 
coming  on,  and  Lizzette  found  the  yield  of  the  two 
gardens  more  than  she  could  well  manage  in  her  small 
way.  Margaret,  appalled  somewhat,  for  all  her  cour- 
age, at  having  to  face  the  multitude  in  a  stall  at  the 
market,  was  for  disposing  of  her  produce  to  the  com- 
mission merchants  on  South  M Street. 

'' Non,"  said  Lizzette  emphatically.  "  Zere  ees  no 
money  in  zat.  You  make  consignment  and  more 
likely  zan  not  get  back  ze  whole  stuff  wilted  and  good 
for  nosing.  I  tried  zat  to  my  sorrow.  In  ze  stall  you 
gell  all  at  some  price.  You  no  carry  home  ze  stuff 
again." 

"  I  know,"  said   Margaret  doubtfully,  "  but  truly  I 


8o  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

dread  my  ignorance  and  the  contact  with  things  wholly 
unfamiliar." 

"Ah,  ze  little  brown  Frenchwoman  haf  no  such  fear, 
and  she  forget  ze  girlhood  so  long  temps!  Zare  ees 
Gilbert — ees  he  not  old  enough  ?  I  take  him  under  my 
wing,  and  he  sail  learn  ze  tricks  of  trade.  N'est-ce 
pas  .'' 

"  I  will  go  with  you  to-morrow,"  said  Margaret, 
''for  I  must  conquer  my  dread.  Perhaps  some  time 
Gilbert  shall  take  my  place." 

Nothing  in  the  line  of  work  had  ever  seemed  so  dis- 
tasteful to  Margaret  as  wheeling  the  little  hand-cart 
through  the  streets  of  the  city,  and  taking  her  place 
within  the  stall  next  to  Lizzette's.  It  was  early  when 
they  reached  the  market,  and  the  buyers  were  not  out 
in  full  force;  nevertheless  Margaret  fancied  she  saw 
in  every  eye  that  lingered  on  her  an  impertinent  curi- 
osity. Self-consciousness  was  the  least  of  her  failings; 
but  there  was  an  almost  unacknowledged  protest  at 
being  compelled  to  stand  up  before  the  gaze  of  hun- 
dreds and  volubly  offer  her  small  wares  for  sale.  Duty 
certainly  wore  her  most  uninviting  aspect  that  morn- 
ing, and  came  nearer  finding  Margaret  a  coward  than 
ever  before.  She  had  never  as  yet  shrunk  from  any 
work,  however  menial ;  but  there  was  a  vast  difference 
between  performing  that  work  within  the  seclusion  of 
home,  cheered  and  upheld  by  an  atmosphere  of  love 
and  appreciation  that  made  "  the  dignity  of  labor " 
something  more  than  the  radiant  utterance  of  some 
visionary  pedant,  and  standing  in  the  full  gaze  of  the 
public,  subjected  to  the  Avhims,  avarice,  snobbishness, 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  8 1 

and  impertinence  of  the  pushing,  merciless  multitude. 
Oh,  how  she  shrank  from  it  all!  How  had  she  ever 
thought  it  possible  to  have  strength  for  such  work  ? 
Lizzette's  quick  eyes  noticed  the  constraint  of  Mar- 
garet's manner,  and  she  undertook,  by  a  display  of 
more  than  ordinal  y  volubility  and  gayety,  to  dispel 
the  gloom  that  wrapped  her.  She  bustled  about, 
changing  the  position  of  that  bunch  of  onions  or 
radishes,  this  head  of  lettuce,  or  endeavoring  to  display 
more  temptingly  the  measures  of  spinach,  peas,  beans, 
etc.  More  than  one  would-be  buyer  halted,  gazed  at 
the  silent  figure  and  white  face,  and  passed  on. 

"  Zis  will  nevair  do,"  interposed  Lizzette  in  a  whis- 
per. "You  look  truly  seek;  sit  down  here  behind  ze 
cart,  and  I  sell  for  bof  of  us.  Vous  avez  ze  paleness 
I  no  like  to  see.     Ze  work  ees  too  hard." 

Margaret  shook  herself  together  with  an  effort. 
No,  she  would  not  be  beaten  back  at  the  first  step; 
it  would  be  degrading.  The  mutiny  in  her  breast, 
whatever  it  was,  whether  a  hitherto  unknown  under- 
current of  false  pride  or  a  new  and  abnormal  sensi- 
tiveness, must  be  conquered.  With  a  smile  that  was 
almost  pitiful  in  its  attempted  bravery  she  said :  ''  No, 
Lizzette ;  it  is  now  or  never.  You  will  soon  see  what 
a  brave  market-woman  I  will  make.  I  shall  make 
a  sale  to  the  next  comer.  Good-morning,  madam ! 
How  can  I  serve  you  ?  "  she  asked,  as  a  woman  who 
wore  diamonds  and  silk  approached  and  sniffed  con- 
temptuously above  the  little  display  of  greenery. 

"Dear  me!     You  don't  seem  to  have  anything  fit 
for  a  pig  to  eat,"  said  the  woman  as  with   ungloved 
6 


82  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

hand  flashing  with  diamonds  she  deHberately  reached 
for  a  measure  of  spinach,  and  turned  it  bottom  side 
up  on  the  little  counter. 

''  I  presume  not,"  said  Margaret,  quietly  picking  up 
the  spinach  and  restoring  it  to  its  place.  "  We  don't 
sell  to  pigs  here." 

**H*m!  impertinent!"  and  with  a  haughty  stare 
into  Margaret's  face,  the  diamonds  and  silk  passed  on. 
Lizzette  was  convulsed  with  laughter.  Margaret  stole 
a  quick  glance  at  her,  and  the  white  scorn  of  her  face 
lit  up  with  a  smile. 

"  That  was  a  tonic,  Lizzette,"  she  said.  *'  I  shall  do 
better  next  time." 

A  second  later  a  sweet-faced  little  matron  stopped 
at  the  counter,  asked  for  prices,  made  her  selection, 
and  looking  earnestly  at  Margaret,  said:  ''You  are  a 
newcomer  here.     I  know  all  the  old  faces." 

"  It  is  my  first  effort." 

"And  you  find  it  hard?" 

"A  little.     I  shall  get  used  to  it." 

"Ah,  yes,  we  get  used  to  almost  everything  in" this 
world.  I  shall  remember  you  and  look  for  you  to- 
morrow. Good  morning  "  And  Avith  a  slight  bow  the 
little  matron  took  up  her  purchases  and  went  on  her 
way. 

Margaret's  face  softened  as  she  glanced  at  Lizzette. 
"  Eet  ees  not  all  bad,"  Lizzette  found  time  to  whisper. 

"  No,"  said  Margaret,  "  a  little  smile  lightens  the 
whole  world." 

When  the  market  hours  were  over,  Margaret,  to  her 
surprise,  found  that  she  had  sold  out  her  little  stock, 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  83 

and  Lizzette  was  voluble  in  praise  of  her  ability  as 
a  saleswoman.  The  generous  hearted  little  French- 
woman had  nothmg  to  say  of  the  numberless  ways  in 
which  she  had  contrived  to  bring  Margaret's  supplies 
within  the  notice  of  purchasers.  Margaret  went  home 
with  a  lighter  heart.  After  all,  nothing  was  ever  quite 
so  hard  when  once  the  shoulder  had  been  put  to  the 
wheel.  Yet  it  was  a  white,  tired  face  that  greeted  the 
three  who  at  Idlewild  were  anxiously  awaiting  the  re- 
sult of  the  experiment. 

*'  O  Meg  !  "  cried  Elsie  apprehensively.  "You  have 
gone  beyond  your  strength,  and  I  am  to  blame  for 
coaxing  you  into  this  move.  I  am  going  to  take  your 
place." 

*' No,  indeed,"  said  Margaret  decisively;  "I'll  not 
hear  one  word  to  it.  This  is  my  work  until  I  have 
mastered  it  and  am  ready  to  give  it  up  to  Gilbert." 

They  knew  persuasions  were  useless,  and  so  she  was 
left  to  work  out  the  problem  upon  which  she  was  just 
entering.  It  did  not  grow  any  easier  as  the  weeks 
and  months  progressed.  She  never  could  quite  put 
down  the  mute  protest  that  arose  within  her  against 
a  conscious  unsuitability  for  such  work.  It  was  always 
distasteful  to  her  to  mingle  with  the  jostling  crowd 
and  urge  upon  fault-finding  buyers  the  excellence  of 
her  wares;  but  she  resolutely  choked  back  revolt,  and 
finding  that  she  was  gaining  customers  who  grew  to 
like  the  simple  earnestness  of  her  manner  and  to  rely 
upon  the  exactness  of  her  word  and  measure,  and  that 
there  was  at  least  a  living  profit  in  her  calling,  she 
learned  to  endure  all  its  unpleasantness  with  no  word 


84  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

of  complaint.  How  bravely  she  bore  it  all  no  one 
guessed  except  Lizzette,  who  witnessed  daily  the  strug- 
gle going  on  in  the  girl's  breast. 

''  Ze  instinct  of  ze  lady  rebelled,  but  ze  heart  of  ze 
woman  bear,"  she  said  sententiously. 

The  summer  passed  away  quickly  and  uneventfully; 
the  daily  round  of  duties,  of  self-improvement,  of 
little  moments  of  relaxation  over  Elsie's  organ  or 
Antoine's  violin,  making  the  days  bright  with  widen- 
ing hope  and  prospects. 

One  late  October  evening,  while  Elsie  and  Antoine 
were  filling  the  little  house  with  music  and  Gilbert 
was  buried  in  a  book,  Margaret  seated  herself  before 
her  father's  desk  and  began  a  letter  to  Dr.  Ely. 

"  In  fulfilment  of  my  promise,  I  inclose  a  summary 
of  our  summer's  work.  You  will  see  that  financially 
we  are  a  trifle  ahead.  This  is  due  to  the  wise  fore- 
thought of  our  good  friend  Dr.  Ely  and  the  manage- 
ment of  our  wonderful  little  Frenchwoman.  When  I 
look  at  my  own  work,  I  realize  that  I  have  been  but 
the  obedient  machine  of  wiser  calculation  than  I  could 
possibly  have  evinced,  and  I  take  no  credit  to  myself 
for  this  happy  state  of  our  affairs.  Much  as  I  believe 
in  and  preach  the  independence  of  the  individual,  I 
realize  more  and  more  the  absolute  need  of  inter- 
dependent friendship.  It  is  impossible  to  find  healthy 
life  in  the  isolation  of  self;  and  yet  it  is  in  the  devel- 
opment of  self  that  we  reach  the  highest  capability 
for  perfect  friendship.  The  wisdom  of  others  has 
benefited   me  largely  this  summer.     Through   others* 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  85 

eyes  I  have  seen  with  clearer  vision  many  things  which 
my  own  inexperience  would  have  shown  me  but  diml}\ 
I  feel  that  I  have  grown  stronger  and  more  steadfast 
by  reason  of  this  friendship  that  came  like  a  waft  of 
summer  wind  across  my  barren  pathway;  and  that  I 
may  properly  render  unto  Caesar,  I  hereby  make  my 
acknowledgments  for  numberless  good  offices  at  your 
hands. 

"  As  regards  the  garden,  the  hot-beds  are  made 
ready  for  the  winter's  sowing,  and  we  have  built  a 
substantial  hen-house  and  a  miniature  duck-pond  at 
the  foot  of  the  raspberry  patch.  The  yield  of  berries 
this  summer  was  inconsiderable,  owing  to  the  vigorous 
pruning  given  to  the  bushes,  but  the  growth  has  been 
fine.  The  trellises  are  all  in  good  shape  and  we  hope 
for  a  substantial  return  next  summer. 

"  My  experiment  with  Aunt  Liza  and  Eph,  about 
which  I  wrote  you,  has  not  been  highly  successful. 
Between  the  two  they  have  managed  to  save  about 
five  dollars,  and  I've  no  doubt  the  community  will  be 
called  upon  as  usual  to  keep  the  breath  of  life  in  their 
poor  bodies  until  spring.  For  my  part,  since  they  are 
both  able-bodied  I  shall  owe  nothing.  Whatever  help 
I  offer  they  must  be  made  to  pay  for  in  some  shape, 
since  in  that  way  only  can  they  be  taught  independ- 
ence and  responsibility,  and  something  like  a  solution 
be  made  of  this  problem  of  the  poor  whom  we  have 
always  with  us. 

"  As  regards  my  market  business,  I  do  not  think  I 
am  calculated  for  trade.  The  peculiar  isolation  of  my 
life  has  unfitted  me  for  contact  with  many-sided  hu- 


S6  -  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

manlty,  and  for  that  reason  I  tie  myself  to  it  with  a 
self-immolation  of  an  Indian  devotee.  With  not  only 
my  own  way  to  make  in  the  world,  but  that  of  Elsie 
and  Gilbert,  I  can  afford  no  mawkish  shrinking  from 
unpleasant  things.  It  will  never  be  a  pleasant  business 
for  me,  but  as  I  find  the  newness  wearing  off,  it  grows 
more  bearable.  I  have  established  a  regular  line  of 
good  customers  who  seem  always  well  suited ;  have 
quite  a  trade  in  butter,  which  I  buy  from  the  farmers' 
wives  hereabout,  and  a  slight  output  of  eggs  and 
chickens  from  our  own  hennery.  Eph  has  promised 
to  keep  me  supplied  for  the  winter  with  game,  and 
Lizzette  and  I  will  make  our  trips  at  six  o'clock  in- 
stead of  four  as  the  weather  grows  colder.  So  much 
for  material  matters. 

"  In  our  Home  Club  we  have  done  fairly  well.  We 
have  finished  United  States  history,  taken  up  the  first 
principles  of  political  economy,  made  some  studies  in 
Shakespeare  and  '  Ivanhoe  '  and  'Adventures  of  Philip,' 
t?'ted  Browning  and  discarded  him — our  practical  life 
is  too  short  to  spend  in  solving  enigmas  that,  however 
charming  they  may  be  as  poetical  conceptions,  have 
nothing  perceptible  to  teach  us — and  by  way  of  dessert, 
with  Ruskin  to  fall  back  on,  have  taken  up  some  slight 
studies  In  sestheticism,  the  material  result  of  which 
has  been  innumerable  Move  bags,'  impossible  'head- 
rests,' and  indescribable  nothings  on  Elsie's  part.  The 
best  part  of  our  efforts,  however,  has  been  the  practi- 
cal value  of  our  discussions  following  the  presentation 
of  a  'blossom'  or  thought  by  each  member.  You 
will  recall  my  previous  letter  regarding  this.     Out  of 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  8/ 

this  discussion  has  come  wisdom,  even  beyond  our 
hopes,  and  strength  greater  than  our  own.  We  scorn 
nothing  here,  not  the  simplest  wayside  weed,  and  we 
have  learned  much  from  each  other  and  research. 
Antoine  is  making  marvellous  progress  in  his  music. 
Already  he  is  interpreting  Bach  and  Handel,  and  even 
venturing  into  snatches  of  original  composition.  The 
lad's  soul  seems  to  have  been  lit  at  the  altar  of  music; 
for  on  no  ordinary  presumption  can  one  compute  his 
wonderful  development.  Strength  and  a  greater  de- 
gree of  comeliness  seems  to  have  come  into  his  long 
thin  arms  and  bent  shoulders,  while  there  is  a  constant 
glow  in  his  dark  eyes  and  an  unusual  gayety  in  his 
laugh.  Lizzette  is  in  a  fervor  of  happiness  and  pride, 
and  seems  not  to  be  able  to  do  enough  for  us.  Elsie 
has  caught  Antoine's  faculty  for  whistling,  and  often 
makes  a  good  second  to  the  bird-like  notes  with  which 
he  accompanies  his  violin.  It  is  a  rare  treat  to  listen 
to  them  as  I  am  listening  now — Elsie  at  the  organ,  An- 
toine with  his  violin  nestled  lovingly  under  his  chin, 
and  his  deft  bow  bringing  out  with  marvellous  power 
its  almost  human  tones,  and  both  whistling!  Elsie 
grows  daily  more  charming  and  more  expansive,  and 
music  seems  to  be  with  her,  as  with  Antoine,  the  ex- 
pression of  much  that  is  restless,  wayward,  and  beauti- 
ful in  her  soul.  Gilbert  is  docile  and  patient;  but  I 
notice  a  growing  uneasiness  and  distaste  for  his  work 
that  must  be  met  and  overcome  in  some  way.  I  have 
been  thinking  of  putting  him  in  the  manual-training 
school  in  the  city,  but  have  not  yet  solved  the  problem 
of  ways   and   means,     I   think  you   may  perhaps   be 


88  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

pained  to  find  that  we  do  not  attend  church.  In  the 
first  place,  the  purchase  of  the  organ  rendered  neces- 
sary the  most  rigid  economy  in  dress — in  fact,  Elsie 
and  I  wear  nothing  but  calico,  and  Gilbert's  clothes 
are  growing  decidedly  seedy.  In  the  second  place,  we 
went  once  to  St.  Paul's,  in  the  city,  and  have  had  no 
heart  to  go  since.  My  poor  father  long  before  his 
death  used  to  declaim  against  the  growing  tendency 
to  exclusiveness  in  the  churches.  In  the  simplicity  of 
my  country  living,  I  thought  him  unnecessarily  appre- 
hensive. The  house  of  God  was  indeed  to  me  so  much 
a  sanctuary  I  thought  worldliness  was  left  at  the  outer 
door;  but  I  found  my  mistake  upon  entering  the  door 
of  St.  Paul's.  The  free  seats,  high-backed  and  un- 
cushioned,  were  portioned  off  from  the  others  with  a 
wide  aisle.  In  them  were  gathered  a  little  handful  of 
people  like  ourselves,  evidently  the  world's  toilers  and 
God's  poor.  The  cushioned  seats  were  filled  with  a 
richly-dressed  congregation.  The  altar  was  superbly 
decorated  in  white  and  gold,  and  the  clergym.an,  as 
white  and  high-bred-looking  as  his  aesthetic  surround- 
ings, preached  a  sermon  on  the  '  Beauty  of  the  ideal.' 
He  found  his  text  in  the  Bible,  but  he  found  nothing 
else  there.  The  Bread  of  Life  was  not  in  it.  I  glanced 
around  the  congregation ;  those  in  the  free  seats  sat 
with  blankly  staring  countenances,  evidently  victims 
to  a  sense  of  duty.  The  occupants  of  the  cushioned 
seats  leaned  luxuriously  back  and  listened  with  a  well- 
bred  air  of  interest;  but  as  far  as  I  could  see  not  one 
face  glowed  with  an  intensity  of  feeling  or  asked  for 
anything  more  than  the  rhetorical  flourish.     We  re- 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  89 

mained  through  the  communion  service,  but  did  not 
partake  of  it.  I  think  the  divine  symbols  would  have 
choked  me,  my  heart  was  so  hot  and  bitter  within  me. 
Clearly  my  father  v/as  right.  The  church  of  to-day  is 
not  for  the  masses,  nor  of  the  masses,  and  yet  I  feel 
sure  that  there  is  a  great  heart  of  humanity  underlying 
all  this  worldliness,  and  perhaps  waiting  patiently  for 
the  time  to  ripen  when  the  crust  of  wealth-worship, 
caste,  and  place-hunting  shall  be  burned  through  with 
the  white  heat  of  its  fires.  God  loves  his  chosen,  and 
they  are  of  all  the  earth ;  some  day  he  shall  call  them 
together!  We  spend  our  Sundays  at  home.  Elsie  and 
Antoine  render  beautifully  those  old  arks  of  safety, 
'Come!  Ye  Disconsolate'  and  '  Jesus,  Lover  of  My 
Soul.'  We  read,  talk,  study,  and  open  our  hearts  to 
the  sweet  graces  of  love  and  charity,  and  so  we  forget 
that  outside  there  is  a  world  which  scorns  our  poverty 
and  our  calloused  hands.  Once  in  a  while,  drawn  by 
the  music,  old  Aunt  Liza  and  Eph — who  by  the  way 
begrudges  the  Sunday  that  takes  him  away  from  his 
hunting — make  an  addition  to  our  number.  I  don't 
try  to  do  any  so-called  missionary  work  with  them,  al- 
though Eph  says  suspiciously  he  *  specs  dat's  what 
it  all  means,  anyhow ! '  On  the  whole,  life  is  very 
pleasant  with  us.  I  am  growing  so  accustomed  to  its 
methodical  rounds  that  I  have  no  time  for  anything 
like  regret  or  vain  aspirations. 

''With  the  best  wishes  for  the  prosperity  of  the 
school  and  the  welfare  of  our  good  friend  Dr.  Ely, 
I  am  Sincerely  your  friend, 

"  Margaret  Murchison." 


90  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

The  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  and  with  the 
thermometer  registering  ten  degrees  below  zero  every- 
thing creaked,  tingled,  and  snapped  in  the  frosty  air. 
A  keen,  cutting  wind  whistled  down  from  the  North 
and  made  the  comfortably-housed  mortal  shiver  with 
dread  at  thought  of  being  exposed  to  its  rude  blast. 
In  the  little  house  at  Idlewild  the  three  drew  around 
the  stove  and  discussed,  gravely  apprehensive,  Mar- 
garet's dread  trip  to  market  in  the  morning. 

"  Don't  go!  "  exclaimed  Elsie.  ''  It  will  be  so  bitter 
cold  that  precious  few  will  venture  out  to  buy." 

"  I  wouldn't  if  it  were  not  so  near  Christmas,  and  I 
shall  have  no  money  for  remembrance  if  I  do  not  sell 
off  the  little  produce  we  have." 

''Well,  I'd  rather  forego  a  remembrance  than  have 
you  frozen  stiff  in  the  act  of  presenting  a  cabbage-head 
to  an  indifferent  public,  while  your  very  utterances 
crystallized  on  the  frosty  air  and  left  you  a  touching 
monument  to  the  ills  of  labor." 

"  Let  me  go,  sister,"  exclaimed  Gilbert.  "  I  think  it 
is  time  you  let  me  bear  a  little  hardship." 

''Indeed  it  is,"  interposed  Elsie.  "You  are  spoiling 
the  lad  by  forgetting  that  if  he  lives  long  enough  he 
will  be  a  man  some  time." 

"  Never  fear!     He  will  live  long  enough  to  see  you 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  9I 

a  sharp-tongued   old  maid,"  ejaculated    Gilbert,  who 
occasionally  winced  under  Elsie's  raillery. 

''That  doesn't  frighten  me  a  bit!  I  never  saw  a 
sharp  tongued  old  maid  who  didn't  have  the  right  of 
way  everywhere  she  went.  Try  again,  Gilbert.  Your 
picture  is  not  half  dismal  enough." 

"Hush,  children!"  interferred  Margaret,  laying  a 
hand  on  the  hand  of  each.  "  Suppose  I  accept  your 
proposition  and  let  Gilbert  take  my  place  to-morrow!  " 

"Yes,  and  the  rest  of  the  winter,"  said  Gilbert  ear- 
nestly. ''It  is  too  hard  for  you.  I've  noticed  you 
were  growing  thin  under  it." 

"And  I  too,"  added  Elsie.  "  I  should  have  said  so 
before,  but  you  have  such  a  desperately  calm  heroism 
about  you  that  it  takes  more  than  usual  bravery  to 
remonstrate  with  you." 

"  Desperately  calm  is  an  admirable  expression,  Elsie," 
said  Margaret  w^ith  a  smile,  ''  and  now  that  you  have 
exhibited  so  much  bravery,  I  suppose  there  is  nothing 
left  for  me  but  to  succumb.'' 

"  Exactly.     It  is  refreshing  to  find  you  so  docile." 

"  I  suspect  it  is  because  I  am  a  coward  physically. 
I  have  not  much  desire  to  stand  in  the  front;  in  fact, 
rd  like  to  desert  from  the  army  of  workers." 

"Margaret,  I'm  afraid  you  are  going  to  be  sick," 
exclaimed  Elsie,  all  the  mischief  dying  out  of  her 
face. 

"  Nonsense,  Rosebud.     I  never  was  sick  in  my  life." 

"  Everybody  finds  his  Waterloo  some  time,  and  now, 
Margaret  Murchison,  I'm  going  to  exert  my  long-re- 
served authority  and  insist  that  you  put  up  that  book 


92  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

— somehow  I  never  see  you  of  late  without  a  book  or 
a  cabbage  in  your  hand — and  go  to  bed.  You  are 
completely  tired  out,  I  know,  and  there  is  no  use  in 
trying  to  make  a  martyr  of  yourself  any  longer." 

With  gentle  insistence  Elsie  took  the  book  from  her 
sister's  hand  and  dragged  her  off  to  bed,  hovering  over 
her  with  ostentatious  airs  of  stern  command  that  were 
as  grateful  to  Margaret's  tired  senses  as  they  were 
amusing  in  the  blithe-hearted  girl. 

Some  moments  later,  though  it  was  still  early  in 
the  evening,  the  little  household  was  wrapped  in 
profound  slumber. 

Fire!  Fire!  shouted  a  belated  passer-by  as  he  ran 
hurriedly  toward  the  Idlewild  cottage. 

Fire!  Fire!  first  took  up  one  voice  and  another, 
and  Fire!  Fire!  they  cried  almost  under  the  windows 
of  the  little  house.  No  response  came  from  the  inside. 
"  Pound  on  the  doors  !  "  shouted  a  voice. 

"  Maybe  they  are  not  at  home,"  responded  another. 
"  Pound  away!  wake  them  up!    break  in  the  door!  " 

Terrific  blows  were  applied  on  the  door,  which  yielded 
to  the  pressure  and  fell  back  splintered  from  top  to 
bottom.  Fire!  Fire!  yelled  the  foremost  man  of  the 
party.  Still  no  response  from  the  inm.ates.  By  this  time 
half  a  dozen  men  had  gathered  in  the  room,  and  were 
busily  engaged  in  throwing  out  articles  of  furniture, 
hunting  for  water,  and  endeavoring  to  put  out  the  fire, 
which,  with  the  draft  of  the  open  door,  was  already 
encircling  the  room. 

*'  Good  God  !  "  cried  one  of  the  men,  opening  a  bed- 
room door  and  discovering  Elsie  and  Margaret  asleep. 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  93 

"  Here  are  two  women  !  Wake  up  !  Wake  up  !  The 
house  is  on  fire  !  " 

Elsie  sprang  up  dazed  and  bewildered. 

"  On  fire  ? "  she  cried  as  if  dimly  understanding. 
*'0  Meg!  O  Meg!  wake  up!  We'll  burn!"  and  seiz- 
ing Margaret  by  the  shoulder  she  undertook  to  wake 
her.  There  was  no  response  from  Margaret,  who  lay 
like  one  dead. 

"  There  ain't  no  time  to  waste,"  called  the  man. 
"  Come,  get  up  out  of  here,"  and  he  shook  her  vigor- 
ously. So  heavy  a  stupor  was  upon  her  she  could 
make  no  reply,  and  the  man  finally  lifted  her  by  main 
force  and  called  to  Elsie,  "  Come  on,  girl — there  ain't 
no  time  to  fool  away." 

Just  then  arose  the  cry,  ''We  can't  get  a  drop  of 
water  !     Everything  is  frozen  solid  !  " 

"  Let  her  go,  boys  !  Throw  out  the  things !  No  use 
trying  to  save  her  !  " 

At  that  moment  Elsie  appeared  in  the  doorway.  "My 
brother  !  My  brother  Gilbert !  He's  in  there  !  "  point- 
ing to  a  door  that  seemed  barred  by  the  flames.  "  Let 
me  wake  him,"  and  she  was  about  to  rush  through  the 
flames,  clad  only  in  her  night-dress  and  with  bare  feet, 
when  the  little  knot  of  men  threw  themselves  in  her 
way.  One  of  them,  axe  in  hand,  dashed  through  the 
flames,  and  a  moment  later  they  heard  the  sound  of 
shivering  glass,  while  Gilbert  awoke  from  a  boy's  sound 
slumber  on  the  snow  outside  of  his  room.  The  man 
with  the  axe  followed  the  boy's  exit  through  the  win- 
dow, and  appeared  at  the  outer  doorway  a  moment 
later.    "Any  one  else  in  the  house  ?  "  he  asked. 


94  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"  No,"  said  Elsie  growing  cooler  as  she  realized  the 
safety  of  Margaret  and  Gilbert.  "  Save  the  books,  the 
organ,  and  the  desk  if  everything  else  goes." 

"All  right,  but  you  better  put  for  the  neighbor's. 
We'll  bring  you  some  clothes  and  save  the  furniture 
too.     Now,  boys,  pitch  in  !  " 

Elsie  started  out  of  the  door  at  the  word  of  com- 
mand, and  almost  stumbled  over  Antoine  on  his  knees 
in  the  snow.  '' O  Elsie!  O  Elsie!"  he  cried.  "I 
couldn't  stay  in.  I  was  so  frightened.  Thank  God, 
you're  not  burned  !  " 

Elsie  picked  up  the  helpless  lad  in  her  arms  and 
started  as  fast  as  the  burden  would  permit  her  for  the 
lad's  home.  At  the  corner  of  the  house  she  met  Gil- 
bert in  his  night  clothes,  dazed  and  stupid.  "Come, 
Gilbert !  "  she  cried,  "  help  me  take  Antoine  home.  I 
can  hardly  carry  him." 

"I  want  my  clothes,"  he  shivered;  "let  me  get  my 
clothes."  He  was  just  dodging  into  the  door,  v/hen  a 
hand  seized  him  roughly  by  the  shoulders  and  sent 
him  flying  into  the  snow  again. 

"Are  you  mad  ?  The  walls  are  just  ready  to  fall. 
Get  to  the  neighbor's  !  Here,  take  this  blanket !  "  and 
the  fireman  tossed  the  shivering  boy  a  blanket.  Elsie 
was  barely  half-way  up  the  path  leading  to  Antoine's 
home,  when  she  encountered  Lizzette  frantic  with 
fear  for  Gilbert  and  Elsie.  When  she  saw  Elsie's^ 
burden  she  snatched  the  lad  up  with  a  startled  excla- 
mation. 

"  Mon  Dieu,  Antoine  !  Que  fait  il  ?  Oia  va-t-il  ?  I 
nevair  know  he  leaves  ze  house,  Elsie.     Run,  Elsie ! 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  95 

Margaret  ees   in   a   faint.     I   no  wake  her!     Gilbert, 
mon  pauvre  gar9on  !     Que  dire  ?  que  faire  ?  " 

Hastily  along  the  icy  way  the  three  ran,  Lizzette 
having  taken  Antoine  from  Elsie's  arms.  They  burst 
open  the  door  of  the  little  sitting-room,  to  find  Mar- 
garet still  and  white  on  the  lounge. 

"  Meg,  darling,"  cried  Elsie,  sinking  on  her  knees 
beside  her.  "  Oh,  look  up  !  Speak  to  me  !  What  is  it  ? 
Oh,  somebody  tell  me  what  is  the  matter !  She  breathes 
—see  !  she  moves  a  little !     Meg,  Meg,  speak  to  me !  " 

Her  wild  importunities  only  caused  a  little  tremor 
to  run  through  Margaret's  frame.  By  this  time  Lizzette 
was  at  Elsie's  side  with  a  glass  of  brandy.  "  Here, 
drink  zis,  Margaret  !  Non  ?  A  teaspoon,  Elsie  !  Now 
zen,  open  her  teeth!  Zay  are  not  set!  C'est  tres- 
bon!  She  swallow?  Oui !  Her  hands,  zey  are  so 
cold!  Ce  n'est  pas  bien!  Some  hot  cloths,  Elsie. 
I  go  send  for  ze  docteur!  " 

As  Lizzette  turned  away  there  came  a  loud  knock- 
ing at  the  door.  Several  men  stood  outside  with  cloth- 
ing  and  furniture.  "  We  have  saved  what  we  could. 
Where  shall  we  store  the  things  ?  " 

"  Oh,  come  in,"  cried  Lizzette.  "  I  know  not.  I  only 
know  ze  young  lady  ees  seek.  Vill  not  some  one  be  so 
kind  to  get  ze  docteur  ?     She  faint  all  ze  time." 

"Certainly,"  exclaimed  one  of  their  number.  "I'll 
go  at  once." 

"Ze  furniture!"  exclaimed  Lizzette,  suddenly  recol- 
lecting herself.  "  In  ze  little  room  in  ze  back  zare, 
votyou  can  find  ze  place  for.  Ze  rest  in  ze  hennery— 
anywhere.    I  tank  you,  gentlemen  !    Zese  young  people 


96  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

SO  like  my  own  eet  break  my  heart,"  and  sobbing  bit- 
terly Lizzette  sank  into  a  chair. 

Elsie  and  Gilbert,  wrapped  in  blankets,  still  cowered, 
dumb  with  anguish,  at  Margaret's  side.  Antoine  lay 
back  in  his  wheel  chair  as  white  as  his  pillows,  but 
with  eyes  that  glowed  like  caverns  of  light  in  his  white 
face. 

"  It's  hard,  mum,"  said  one  of  the  men,  as  with  quick 
glances  he  took  in  the  scene,  **  but  we've  saved  most  of 
the  stuff,  and  I  guess  the  young  lady  will  come  to 
after  a  while.  Pretty  nearly  frightened  to  death,  I 
reckon." 

"This  is  not  a  faint  from  fright,"  said  the  doctor 
half  an  hour  later.  "  It  is  the  lethargy  of  typhoid 
fever.  Has  she  not  seemed  tired  and  languid  for  sev- 
eral days  ?  Ah,  I  thought  so !  You  could  not  wake 
her  ?  No  ;  it  will  be  some  time  yet  before  she  realizes 
her  surroundings.  A  critical  case;  but  not  beyond 
cure.    Now,  my  good  madam,  can  you  put  her  to  bed  ?  " 

"  Oui — oui,  at  vonce." 

Elsie  and  Gilbert,  by  this  time  aroused  from  the 
vague  horror  and  stupefaction  which  had  overtaken 
them,  had  managed  to  equip  themselves  in  the  various 
odds  and  ends  of  clothing  which  the  men  had  dropped 
on  the  floor,  and  now  sprang  quickly  to  the  aid  of 
Lizzette.  In  a  few  moments  Margaret  was  safely  be- 
stowed in  Lizzette's  bed,  and  the  doctor  was  pouring 
directions  in  Elsie's  ears. 

''You  are  sure  you  are  calm  enough  to  remember 
instructions  ?  "  asked  the  doctor,  intently  observing 
her  white  face  and  darkly-circled  eyes. 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  97 

' '  I  am  perfectly  calm,  now  that  I  have  hope  for  my 
sister.     She  shall  not  suffer  for  want  of  attention." 

"  Non,  non,"  said  Lizzette  excitedly.  "  She  ees  ze 
angel  of  our  lives.  We  sail  nevair  leave  her  von  mo- 
ment." 

"  It  will  be  hard  for  you,"  said  the  doctor  sympa- 
thetically, ''  but  her  case  is  urgent,  and  depends  largely 
upon  care.    I  will  call  again  to-morrow.    Good-night !  " 

"  Now  for  some  beds,"  said  Lizzette,  all  her  energy 
returning.  ''Antoine,  mon  gargon,  venez  avec  moi ! 
You  sail  sleep  now,  for  ze  great  fear  ees  ovair.  La 
fievre,  eet  sail  be  easy  cure." 

With  tenderest  ejaculations  Lizzette  picked  up  An- 
toine  and  carried  him  to  bed.  "  Le  bon  Dieu  !  "  ex- 
claimed the  lad  fervently  as  he  clasped  his  arms  around 
his  mother's  neck. 

''Oui,"  said  Lizzette,  kissing  him.  "He  make  all 
sings  even." 

For  three  weeks  there  was  but  one  thought,  one 
hope,  one  fear  in  Lizzette's  little  home.  Margaret's 
fever  was  of  that  low,  obstinate  type  which  is  all  the 
more  difificult  of  cure  by  reason  of  its  seeming  lack  of 
violence.  Day  slipped  into  night  and  night  into  day 
again  all  unheeded  by  the  quiet  figure  on  the  bed.  She 
seemed  neither  to  hear  nor  to  see,  and  only  responded 
to  the  care  bestowed  upon  her  as  a  new-born  infant 
responds  to  the  fulfilment  of  its  needs.  She  lay  like 
one  sleeping  peacefully,  and  seldom  evinced  restless- 
ness unless  this  lethargy  was  broken  by  demands  upon 
her  attention.  At  the  end  of  the  twenty-first  day 
there  came  a  visible  change.  Her  features  grew  drawn 
7 


98  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

and  sunken ;  her  hands  became  more  restless,  now 
idly  picking  at  the  bedclothes  and  anon  clutching 
vaguely  at  the  air.  Her  breath  grew  hourly  and  hourly 
more  irregular;  now  sinking  almost  away,  and  again 
growing  labored  and  painful. 

''  Now,"  said  the  doctor,  "  is  the  hour  of  trial.  Keep 
her  strength  up  and  we  shall  save  her.  She  has  a 
magnificent  physique  to  aid  us." 

Heavily  dragged  the  hours  as  the  four — Lizzette, 
Elsie,  Gilbert,  and  the  doctor — watched  Margaret's 
painful  struggle  for  life.  There  seemed  to  be  so  little  to 
do  to  save  her.  It  was  like  barbarism  to  sit  there  and 
watch  the  regular  administering  of  the  necessary  stim- 
ulant, and  realize  that  upon  it,  and  the  recuperative 
power  in  the  frail  body,  depended  hope  and  life.  Elsie, 
worn  as  she  was  with  watching,  was  nearly  mad  with 
the  desire  to  do  something  worth  while,  to  be  active 
in  rousing  Margaret  to  recognition,  and  not  to  feel 
almost  guilty  in  the  passiveness  with  which  she  watched 
the  approach  of  the  dread  crisis. 

"  I  shall  go  wild  with  waiting,  doctor.  Is  there 
nothing  more  I  can  do  ?  "  she  moaned. 

"  Nothing,  child,"  he  answered  sympathetically. 
"We  are  doing  all  that  can  be  done." 

"  Waiting  is  such  hard  work." 

"  For  youth,  yes ;  for  old  age,  its  time  of  greatest 
cheer.  When  you  are  silver-haired,  as  I  am,  you  will 
have  learned  to  wait  patiently." 

"  I  never  was  patient ;  but  God  means  to  teach  me,  I 
see.  It  was  Margaret  who  was  always  patient,  always 
kind,  always  helpful.  Dear  God,  we  cannot  live  with- 
out her." 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  99 

Down  upon  her  knees  beside  the  doctor's  chair 
sHpped  broken-hearted  Elsie,  and  grasping  his  hand 
she  cried  desolately:  ''Oh,  may  the  good  God 
strengthen  you  to  save  her,  doctor !  You  don't  know 
all  she  has  been  to  us,  to  everybody  with  whom  she 
came  in  contact.  She  has  been  one  of  God's  good 
angels,  sent  by  Him  to  make  this  selfish  world  more 
mindful  of  divine  truth!  He  cannot  mean  to  take 
her  now  with  her  work  just  begun.  I  know  He  will 
give  you  power  to  save  her,  and  you  will,  you  will, 
won't  you  ?  " 

With  all  of  a  childlike  innocence  and  pleading  she 
raised  her  tear-stained  face  to  his. 

"  My  dear  child,"  he  replied,  "  all  that  I  know  I  have 
so  far  applied  to  the  case,  and  I  am  deeply  interested 
in  saving  her.  I  have  faith  that  I  shall  do  it.  Now, 
my  little  girl,  it  is  not  wise  to  give  way  to  tears.  You 
must  keep  up  your  strength  to  help  me.  The  battle 
is  only  half-won  when  the  crisis  is  passed." 

At  that  instant  there  was  a  timid  knock  at  the  mid- 
dle door,  which  speedily  opened  to  show  Eph's  black 
face,  as  he  whispered  half-apologetically :  ''I  don 
fotched  some  game,  and  reckon  maybe  I's  gwine  ter 
heah  some  good  news.  Mammy's  out'n  heah  and  we's 
come  ober  ter  help  take  cah  of  you'uns  fo'  ter-night. 
Mammy  says  as  how  yer  oughter  hab  some  good  strong 
coffee,  an'  she  don  tol'  me  ter  ax  yer  should  she  make 
some  ter  hearten  yer  up  a  bit  ?  " 

"  That's  right,  Eph,"  said  the  doctor,  who  knew  Eph 
well.  ''  Just  tell  Aunt  Liza  to  go  ahead ;  for  that's 
the  very  thing  we  need." 


lOO  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY 

"  The  world  is  full  of  kindness,"  said  the  doctor 
when  Eph's  black  face  had  been  withdrawn,  "  if  one 
only  knows  how  to  strike  the  key-note." 

The  interruption  had  been  in  the  nature  of  a  tonic ; 
for  the  wave  of  intensified  feeling  subsided  befoje  the 
simple  offer  of  the  good-natured  African.  Elsie  bent 
over  Margaret's  bed  with  renewed  faith  and  strength, 
and  as  the  midnight  hours  grew  slowly  into  early  morn- 
ing, she  was  as  quick  as  the  doctor  to  notice  the  least 
change  in  the  symptoms. 

"  I  think  she  is  better,  doctor,"  she  whispered  half- 
questioningly. 

"You  are  right,"  was  the  answer.     "  She  will  live." 

Swiftly  as  an  electric  message  went  the  glad  news 
from  eye  to  eye,  and  ''Thank  God!  "  welled  up  from 
anxious  hearts  and  lifted  eyes  overflowing  with  tears. 

Margaret  had  been  convalescent  two  weeks  before 
she  was  permitted  an  answer  to  the  wonder  in  her  eyes. 
It  was  a  disjointed  answer  at  best.  No  one  knew  how 
the  fire  had  originated,  why  it  had  been  impossible  to 
make  connections  with  the  water-mains,  or  why  they 
had  been  so  deplorably  incapable  of  action.  One  fact 
alone  stood  out  distinct  and  clear:  Margaret's  insensi- 
bility and  the  subsequent  hard  fight  for  life.  Now  that 
Margaret  was  recovering,  the  misfortune  seemed  to 
lighten.  In  fact,  the  old  sunshine  had  come  back  to 
their  faces,  albeit  the  unpicturesque  side  of  poverty 
stared  them  in  the  face.  They  had  not  as  yet  gone 
hungry,  for  Eph  with  the  generosity  and  sympathy  of 
his  race  had  kept  the  table  supplied  with  game;  but 
Lizzette's  slender  resources  were  being  daily  lessened. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  lOI 

Of  this,  however,  she  gave  no  intimation,  but  cheer- 
fully bore  her  increased  expense  and  labor,  thankful 
above  all  else  for  the  boon  of  Margaret's  life,  and  the 
opportunity  to  repay  a  debt  which  it  had  seemed  to 
her  a  life's  devotion  could  never  obliterate.  Elsie  was 
quick  to  see  how  the  slender  means  were  being  strained 
to  their  utmost,  but  while  Margaret  was  still  so  weak 
and  needing  such  careful  nursing  she  could  make  no 
effort  to  earn  anything  to  help  out  the  scanty  purse. 
She  could  only  bide  her  time  until  Margaret  was  able 
to  wait  upon  herself,  and  then  something  must  be  done. 
She  and  Gilbert  must  be  bread-winners  now.  Gilbert, 
in  the  mean  time,  had  gone  from  door  to  door,  shovel- 
ling coal  here,  sweeping  walks  there,  running  occasional 
errands,  and  doing  odd  jobs  of  tinkering,  in  the  hope- 
ful effort  to  eke  out  the  scanty  income.  It  was  a  miser- 
able pittance  at  best  that  he  earned,  but  it  bought  the 
beef  for  Margaret's  tea  and  occasional  bits  of  fruit  to 
tempt  the  tardy  appetite.  If  Margaret  surmised  the 
severity  of  the  struggle,  she  saw  no  evidence  of  it  in 
the  serene  faces  about  her.  If  the  old  gayety  of  Elsie's 
laugh  was  a  trifle  subdued  and  Antoine's  violin  had  a 
more  than  usual  plaintiveness,  there  had  come  a  ten- 
derer sympathy,  a  sweeter  note  of  love,  and  a  closer 
bond  of  union  that  were  even  more  grateful.  By  tacit 
consent  the  old  evenings  had  been  resumed  as  Mar- 
garet's convalescence  progressed,  Elsie  "serene  presi- 
dentess  pro  tem.,"  as  she  styled  herself,  and  Margaret 
an  honorary  member,  from  whom  nothing  was  per- 
mitted except  smiles  and  occasional  applause.  It  was 
a  great  delight  to  Margaret  to  watch  her  Protean  sis- 


102  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

ter.  How  admirably  the  versatile  little  witch  fitted 
into  every  niche!  How  beautiful  she  was  in  face  and 
form,  and  more  than  beautiful  in  character!  "God 
shield  her!"  was  Margaret's  inward  prayer.  ''The 
world  is  full  of  danger  for  such  as  she,  and  I  must  has- 
ten to  get  well,  rebuild  the  home  nest,  and  keep  the 
home  ties  strong." 

But  Margaret's  recovery  was  very  slow.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  red  blood  of  renewed  strength  would  never 
come,  and  it  was  with  a  bitter  heart-pang  that  she  lis- 
tened to  the  doctor's  statement  that  she  would  not  be 
fitted  to  resume  work  of  any  kind  before  spring.  The 
golden  cord  had  been  well-nigh  snapped  in  the  indom- 
itable determination  to  conquer  self  and  circumstan- 
ces, and  nature  was  taking  her  revenge.  Gradually, 
sitting  helpless  and  empty-handed  in  her  chair,  she  be- 
gan to  notice  the  little  evidences  of  desperate  need 
which  the  others  tried  in  vain  to  keep  from  her,  and 
one  morning,  determined  to  try  her  strength,  she 
crawled  feebly  into  the  kitchen  to  surprise  them 
at  breakfast  with  nothing  on  the  table  but  potatoes 
and  salt ' 

*'We  are  waiting  for  the  cook  to  bring  in  breakfast," 
exclaimed  Elsie,  noticing  the  pain  in  Margaret's  eyes. 

"O  Margaret!"  cried  Lizzette,  "  zis  ees  too  much. 
Here,  sit  down,  and  see  what  good  appetite  we  haf. 
Ze  pomme  de  terre,  ze  sel,  bof  of  a  superieur  kind 
and  so  well  served  we  eat  and  eat  like  ze  epicure." 

The  humorous  twinkle  in  Lizzette's  eyes  was  lost  on 
Margaret,  for  weak  and  disheartened  she  sank  into  a 
seat,  bowed  her  head  on  the  table,  and  sobbed  like  a 


A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY.  IO3 

child.  In  a  second  Antoine  was  out  of  his  chair  and 
his  arms  were  around  her  neck. 

"  Don't,"  he  whispered.  ''  The  potatoes  are  done  to 
a  turn  and  you  will  spoil  them." 

The  lad's  keenness  had  touched  the  right  chord. 
To  stand  in  the  way  of  another's  need  or  pleasure,  even 
in  little  things,  was  an  ingrained  abhorrence  of  Mar- 
garet's nature.  Instantly  she  raised  a  half-smiling  face, 
"  It  is  a  good  deal  better  than  starving,  after  all,"  she 
said. 

*'  Vastly,"  responded  Elsie.  "  Just  watch  Gilbert 
stow  'em  away!  I'm  not  going  to  tell  the  result  of 
my  tally  this  morning,  for  fear  he'll  take  revenge  on 
me.  We  are  growing  to  be  experts  on  potatoes,  and 
can  tell  how  they  taste  with  our  eyes  shut." 

The  ripple  of  laughter  that  greeted  this  statement 
chased  the  last  tear  from  Margaret's  eyes. 

"Hereafter,"  she  said  resolutely,  "  there  shall  be  no 
beef,  fruit,  and  creams  for  me.  I  intend  to  become  an 
expert  too." 

Lizzette  threw  up  her  hands  in  protest.  "  Non,  non, 
Margaret.  Ze  strength  fail  unless  ze  diet  ees  generous 
for  you.  Ze  waste  tissue  must  be  repaired  first.  Non, 
non,  cherie.     Trust  Lizzette  to  know  ze  best." 

"Well,  I  submit  on  one  condition,"  and  Margaret 
threw  a  quick  glance  at  Antoine's  pale  face.  "  I  must 
share  with  Antoine.  He  needs  rebuilding  as  much  as 
I  do." 

"  C'est  vrai,"  said  Lizzette  in  a  choked  voice.  "II 
est  tres  souffrant;  but  aujourdhui  I  make  some  fa- 
mous potage  de  lapin  for  all,  and  we  dine  like  ze  em- 


104  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

pereur.  Eph  he  bring  ze  lapin  and  say, '  Game  mighty- 
shy  somehow,  Missis  Minaud,  but  I  don't  fergit  Miss 
Margaret,  nohow.'  " 

*' Poor  fellow!  I  am  afraid  he  robs  himself,"  said 
Margaret  sympathetically. 

"  If  he  does,  other  people  make  it  up  to  him,"  replied 
Elsie.  "The  community  has  had  its  usual  call  to  feed 
him  and  his  mother.  I  asked  him  one  day  when  he 
was  here  with  a  brace  of  partridges  if  he  shot  enough 
game  to  support  them.  '  Lawzee,  missy  ! '  said  he  with 
a  laugh  that  showed  the  whites  of  his  eyes  and  the  in- 
ternal anatomy  of  a  cavernous  mouth,  '  not  by  a  jug- 
ful. Dis  yere  game  law  jest  doin'  a  heep  o'  mischuf 
to  po'  men.  I  hez  ter  be  mighty  cahful.'  So,  Miss 
Murchison,  on  the  principle  that  the  receiver  is  as  bad 
as  the  thief,  I  mistrust  you've  been  cheating  your  be- 
loved country  of  its  just  dues  whenever  you  have 
smacked  your  lips  over  a  bit  of  partridge  breast!  " 

"  Let  us  be  thankful  that  rabbits  are  not  interdicted, 
and  that  Eph's  sense  of  kindness  exceeds  his  respect 
for  law." 

'*  '  How  are  the  mighty  fallen,'  "  quoted  Elsie  tragi- 
cally. "  I  fully  expected  to  see  you  rise  in  the  might 
and  majesty  of  insulted  justice,  and  visit  condign  pun- 
ishment upon  poor  Eph  by  refusing  to  be  any  longer 
a  party  to  his  crime." 

''  Hunger  is  said  to  know  no  law,  and  while  I  feel 
inclined  to  forgive  Eph  for  past  sins,  I  shall  have  to 
try  to  impress  upon  him  a  fuller  sense  of  his  obliga- 
tions as  a  law-abiding  citizen." 

"A  useless  task,  I  fancy.     Too  many  generations  of 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  10$ 

dependent  blood  run  in  his  veins.  His  liveliest  sense 
seems  to  be  gratitude  for  some  little  acts  of  kindness 
on  your  part." 

"  I  wonder  what  he  did  with  the  money  he  and  his 
mother  saved  last  summer,"  said  Margaret  reflectively. 

Elsie  laughed.  **I  asked  him  one  day,  and  he  hung  his 
head  as  sheepishly  as  a  boy  who  is  caught  stealing  ap- 
ples. Finally  after  much  coaxing  I  got  the  informa- 
tion— '  Deed,  missy,  specs  you  think  I's  nuffin  but  a 
po'  fool  niggah;  but  I's  listened  to  you'uns  playin* 
music  till  I's  most  dead,  and  I  buyed  a  'cawdion  wid 
my  part  ob  de  cash  and  mammy  she  buyed  a  hat  fur 
meetin'.  I's  larned  to  play  on  it  too,  Missy  Elsie! '  You 
see,  Margaret,  your  idea  of  '  culchah  '  has  taken  deep 
root  in  unexpected  soil." 

''  Is  Aunt  Liza's  hat  an  outgrowth  ?  " 

''As  an  artistic  idea  I  imagine  it  is;  for  more  inten- 
sified reds  and  yellows  never  gleamed  above  a  smiling 
black  face.  The  poor  old  creature  was  so  delighted 
with  her  '  speriment,'  as  she  called  it,  in  saving  money 
for  such  an  artistic  triumph,  that  I  hadn't  the  heart  to 
do  more  than  enjoy  it  with  her." 

"After  all,"  said  Margaret  thoughtfully,  "  my  '  speri- 
ment '  was  not  a  failure,  even  if  it  missed  its  objective 
point.  I  have  aroused  ambition  in  their  apathetic 
breasts.     See  if  it  does  not  bear  good  fruit." 


Io6  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

One  afternoon  as  Elsie  and  Antoine  were  filling  the 
little  house  with  the  notes  of  a  Hungarian  battle  song, 
in  which  violin,  organ,  voice,  and  whistle  played  prom- 
inent parts,  Margaret  was  startled  by  the  sudden  open- 
ing of  the  outer  door,  and  the  appearance  on  the 
threshold  of  a  richly-dressed  lady,  who  with  a  depre- 
cating gesture  which  the  carnival  of  sound  alone  per- 
mitted,undertook  to  explain  her  unannounced  presence. 
Margaret  stepped  feebly  across  the  room  and  hushed 
the  players  as  the  lady  said  laughingly: 

"  I  rapped  several  times,  but  vv-as  unable  to  make 
myself  heard,  and  venturing  upon  the  freedom  of  long 
acquaintance,  I  opened  the  door.  I  think  I  must  have 
made  a  mistake.  I  thought  I  was  in  the  house  of 
Lizzette  Minaud." 

"You  are,"  said  Margaret.  "Be  seated  and  we  will 
call  her." 

The  moment  Lizzette  saw  her  caller  she  cried  in  the 
freedom  of  her  native  tongue :  "  Madam  Mason !  Com- 
ment cela  va-t-il,  aujourdhui  ?  " 

"Assez  bien.  Et-vous  ? "  was  the  answer  in  the 
same  tongue. 

Lizzette  hesitated  a  moment  and  then  said  by  way 
of  explanation :  "  Zese  friends  of  mine  zay  speak  ze 
French  wiz  me." 

"Ah  !  "  and  the  lady  glanced  somewhat  superciliously 


,  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY^.  IO7 

at  Margaret  and  Elsie.  "  It  is  immaterial  to  me  which 
tongue  we  use.  I  have  only  a  few  moments  to  spare 
at  best.  I  was  not  aware,  Lizzette,  that  you  were  mu- 
sical." 

^'  Eh  bien,  eet  ees  only  Miss  Elsie  and  Antoine.  I 
haf  not  ze  time." 

"  I  should  suppose  not,"  said  the  lady,  still  using  the 
French  tongue,  in  the  evident  belief  that  it  might  cover 
some  slight  impertinences  of  question  and  manner. 

"  Where  did  they  learn  that  battle  song  they  were 
playing  as  I  came  in  ?  " 

'' Zey  learn  zemselves,"  answered  Lizzette."  Zeyhaf 
un  grand  penchant  for  music,  and  eet  ees  bread  and 
meat  to  Antoine." 

"Humph!     Who  are  these  girls  ?  " 

The  blood  mounted  to  Lizzette's  face,  but  restrain- 
ing herself  she  said  with  a  quiet  dignity,  that  in  the 
little  market  vv'oman  was  evidently  vastly  amusing  to 
Mrs.  Mason,  "  Zey  are  my  guests." 

Mrs.  Mason  laughed.  "  Come,  Lizzette "  she  be- 
gan, but  her  words  were  interrupted  by  a  simultaneous 
movement  on  the  part  of  Margaret  and  Elsie.  Mar- 
garet arose  from  her  chair,  and  Elsie  as  quickly  offered 
her  arm,  and  the  two  were  on  the  point  of  leaving  the 
room  when  they  were  arrested  by  a  whisper  from  An- 
toine, ''Take  me  too.     I  can't  stay  here." 

Elsie  put  her  hand  to  Antoine's  chair,  and  in  a  pro- 
found silence  the  "  funeral  procession,"  as  Elsie  called 
it,  marched  out  of  the  room. 

"  Come,  come,  Lizzette,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Mason  in 
English,   when   the   door   had   closed.      "  I  meant  no 


I08  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

offence,  of  course.  You  seem  to  have  acquired  an  un- 
usual dignity  since  I  last  saw  you." 

*'  For  zose  who  deserve  it,  oui;  for  Lizzette  Minaud, 
non.  I  know  ze  ladies  when  I  see  zem,  if  so  be  zey  are 
in  calico  or  silk." 

*'  Oh,  of  course,  of  course,"  replied  Mrs.  Mason  some- 
what impatiently.  "  Tell  me  who  they  are,  anyway, 
and  how  they  happen  to  be  with  you." 

"Helen  Mason,"  said  Lizzette  a  little  sternly,  *' if  so 
be  I  did  not  know  you  nearly  ze  whole  of  your  life,  I 
nevair  tell  you  von  leetle  word.  But  since  I  think 
vous  avez  ze  heart  under  zat  spoiled  exterieur,  I  vill 
tell  you  ze  story." 

Mrs.  Mason  laughed. 

''The  privilege  of  an  old  friend,  Lizzette,  is  some- 
times terribly  abused;  but  I  forgive  you  because  of 
my  impatience  to  hear  this  wonderful  story.  You've 
really  aroused  my  curiosity." 

With  all  the  eloquence  of  eye,  voice,  and  gesture  so 
characteristic  of  the  French,  Lizzette  gave  the  details 
of  Margaret's  struggles  and  misfortunes.  The  barren 
story  lost  nothing  under  the  glow  of  Lizzette's  imagi- 
nation and  fertile  tongue,  and  when  she  finished  with  a 
glowing  peroration  on  the  virtues  of  the  little  family, 
Mrs.  Mason's  eyes  required  several  applications  of  a 
dainty  bit  of  embroidered  gauze  before  they  were  re- 
stored to  their  pristine  brightness. 

"  Very  affecting  indeed,"  she  declared.  "  It  is  singu- 
lar how  hard  some  people's  lives  have  to  be,  but  it 
is  fate,  I  suppose."  Mrs.  Mason  was  evidently  quite 
resigned  to  fate.     "  I  declare,"  she  exclaimed,  "listen- 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  IO9 

ing  to  the  story  of  the  trials  of  these  people,  I  had 
nearly  forgotten  my  own.  I  am  in  the  deepest  trouble, 
Lizzette,  and  of  course  I  had  to  come  to  you  for  help 
just  as  I  used  to  do." 

*' Tu  as  I'air  triste,"  laughed  Lizzette. 

*'  Why,  I  am  in  despair.  You  remember  that  ex- 
pensive Frenchman  I  took  such  pains  to  import  for 
my  kitchen  a  year  ago,  and  who  was  such  a  splendid 
cook  ?  Not  quite  equal  to  3^ou,  of  course,  Lizzette — 
nobody  ever  has  been.  Well,  what  did  the  beast  do 
but  get  so  drunk  yesterday  that  he  hasn't  prepared 
a  meal  since  and  we  are  nearly  starved  !  " 

''  Wiz  all  zose  servants  in  ze  house  ?  "  asked  Lizzette 
incredulously. 

"  Oh,  as  for  that,  the  maids  have  succeeded  in  send- 
ing up  something,  but  then  you  know  how  exasperat- 
ing it  is  to  have  meals  so  poorly  served.  Dear  me  !  he 
was  such  a  model  on  sauces!"  And  a  sigh  that  was 
evidently  drawn  from  the  depths  of  her  heart  followed 
the  plaintive  ejaculation. 

''  Was  ?     Ou  est  il  ?  " 

''  Oh,  Mr.  Mason  discharged  him  this  morning.  You 
know  how  rigid  he  is  about  drunkenness.  I  begged 
Mr.  Mason  on  my  knees  to  let  me  keep  Joseph  another 
month,  anyway ;  for  Herbert — your  Herbert,  you  know, 
Lizzette — is  coming  home  from  Europe,  and  Lve  no 
end  of  dinners  planned  for  him,  and  no  cook  in  the 
house.  What  am  I  to  do,  Lizzette  ?  Can't  you  come 
to  me  just  for  a  month,  Lizzette  ?  I  will  pay  you  well 
if  you  will,  and  Antoine  can  stay  here  with  these  girls. 
Oh,  do  come,  there's  a  dear,  good  Lizzette." 


no  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

Mrs.  Mason  was  gently  patting  Lizzette's  brown 
hand  with  one  of  her  own  daintily  gloved  ones.  Liz- 
zette  pondered  a  moment.     '' Vot  you  pay  Joseph  ?  " 

''An  enormous  sum,"  answered  Mrs.  Mason,  coloring. 
''  He  had  such  a  reputation,  you  know,  and  one  always 
has  to  pay  for  reputation  !  " 

"Ah !  " 

The  ejaculation  was  so  dry  that  Mrs.  Mason  has- 
tened to  add :  ''  But  of  course  I  shall  not  let  money 
stand  between  us." 

Lizzette  ruminated  a  little :  "  Ees  eet  worth  to  you  ze 
twenty  dollars  a  week  ?  " 

''  It  is  truly,"  she  answered,  feeling  a  sense  of  relief 
that  it  was  not  Joseph's  usual  weekly  stipend  of  one 
hundred  dollars. 

"  Eh  bien  !  "  said  Lizzette,  "  I  cannot  go." 

''  Lizzette,  you  break  my  heart.     Why  not,  pray  ?  '^ 

''  Because  everysing  go  to  ze  waste  here  ;  mais,  I  haf 
ze  plan  for  you.     I  find  you  une  cuisiniere  a  cet  prix." 

*'  But  ordinary  cooks,  you  know,  Lizzette,  cannot 
earn  more  than  five  or  six  dollars  a  week." 

"  I  know;  mais,  zis  von  ees  so  tres-bonne,  I  myself 
teach  her.  She  lack  ze  experience,  zat  ees  all.  Elle  a 
le  genie  sublime  !  " 

''  That  may  be  ;  but  such  wages  are  too  large  to  pay 
inexperience.     I  think  you  ought  to  get  her  cheaper." 

*'  Ees  eet  not,"  asked  Lizzette  with  a  sly  twinkle  in 
her  eyes,  "  zat  le  prix  ees  much  sheaper  zan  you  obtain 
Joseph  ?  " 

"Oh,  of  course;  but  Joseph  was  a  noted  chef." 

"  Haf  you  not  ze  grand  need  of  a  cook  ?  " 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  Ill 

"  Certainly." 

"Zen  if  I  take  I'avantagc  de  votre  need  to  obtain  le 
bon  prix  for  ze  work  zat  ees  very  good  ivizoiit  ze  rep- 
utation, I  only  follow  ze  well  known  business  principle : 
one  zat  Monsieur  Mason  take  Tavantage  of  every  day." 

''  Lizzette,  you  are  too  much  for  me.  Where  is  your 
paragon  ?  " 

"  Here.     C'est  Elsie." 

*'  What,  that  young  girl  ?  You  astonish  me.  She  can- 
not be  capable;  besides,  I  thought  you  considered  her 
a  lady." 

"  Bah  !  Ze  work  ees  not  ze  lady  any  more  zan  your 
robe  de  sole  ees  ze  lady.  Ven  I  say  '  lady '  I  mean  ze 
instinct,  ze  character,  ze  soul,  ze  nature.  She  cannot 
harm  zat  by  working  dans  le  cuisine.  My  word  for 
it,  you  will  nevair  find  Elsie  Murchison  ze  trespasser 
of  her  place,  if  so  be  it  ees  in  your  kitchen  or  in  your 
salon." 

"Small  likelihood  of  the  latter!  Go  on,  Lizzette  — 
you  are  really  eloquent." 

"  Mais,  I  feel  ze  indignation  at  ze  misapprehension 
of  your  world  ofer  ze  name  of  lady.  In  my  leetle 
world  eet  means  somesing  besides  ze  airs  and  ze  graces 
et  I'argent." 

"Your  world  and  mine  won't  quarrel  over  it  much,  I 
fancy,"  said  IMrs.  Mason  composedly.  "  It  seems  to  me 
you've  grown  into  a  fierce  little  radical  since  you 
compounded  such  delectable  dishes  in  mamma's 
kitchen ;  but  as  to  the  capability  of  that  young  thing, 
I  doubt  it  much." 

"  I  do  not,  for  she  learn  so  fast ;  and  ven  I  haf  vonce 


112  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

taken  her  through  ze  maison  and  she  know  ze  duties, 
you  vill  be  surprised  at  ze  ease  she  do  zem.  Besides, 
ze  grand  sing  ees  ze  buying,  and  I  vill  do  zat  until  she 
sail  haf  learned.  Je  vous  le  promets  a  treasure  in  El- 
sie, and  you  vill  nevair  be  sorry  zat  Lizzette  Minaud 
say  so." 

"  I  never  have  been  sorry  that  I  took  any  advice  of 
yours.  But  how  do  you  know  your  marvel  will  ac- 
cept ?  " 

*'  Nous  verrons  !  Elsie  !  "  called  Lizzette,  stepping  to 
the  kitchen  door,  ''  Sit  down,"  she  added,  as  Elsie  pre- 
sented herself.  "  Madam  Mason  haf  ze  offer  to  make  to 
you,"  and  thereupon  Lizzette  detailed  the  proposition 
that  had  just  been  under  discussion. 

Elsie's  eyes  grew  big  with  wonder  as  she  listened  to 
Lizzette.  ''  I  am  afraid  I  am  not  equal  to  it,"  she 
faltered. 

''  Lizzette  vouches  for  you,"  said  Mrs.  Mason.  ''  I 
have  alv/ays  found  her  advice  good." 

Elsie  did  not  answer  at  once.  A  tide  of  thought 
was  sweeping  over  her.  The  opportunity  was  like  a 
tale  from  fairy  land  in  the  riches  it  seemed  to  offer; 
but  how  could  she  live  under  the  domination  of  that 
supercilious  woman  she  k/ieza  she  should  hate  ?  But 
Margaret,  Gilbert,  Antoine — how  much  she  could  do 
for  all  of  them  !  Courage  !  Now  was  the  time  to 
prove  herself.  The  way  had  been  opened  ;  there  could 
not  be,  must  not  be  any  shrinking  back. 

'*  Very  well,"  she  answered  simply.  *'  I  am  willing  to 
make  the  trial." 

"To-morrow,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Mason,  rising,  "you 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  II3 

will  begin  under  Lizzette's  management.  She  knows 
my  house  as  well  as  her  own.  At  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning  I  shall  be  prepared  to  receive  you.  Good- 
evening,  Lizzette  and — Elsie." 

With  a  scarcely  perceptible  nod  Mrs.  Mason  hast- 
ened out  to  her  carriage.  When  the  door  had  closed 
Lizzette  grasped  Elsie  by  the  shoulders  and  began  an 
impromptu  chaussee  up  and  down  the  room. 

"C'est  tres-bon!  C'est  tres-bon !  "  she  cried.  ''I 
prove  ze  sharper  zat  time;  mais,  le  defaut  ees  in  ze 
grand  cause  of  humanity." 

''  I  am  frightened  to  death,  Lizzette,"  said  Elsie. 

"  Chut!  Helen  Mason  ees  only  la  femme  ordinaire, 
and  reech  !  Helas  !  I'argent  zat  petite  femme  frow  to 
ze  winds.     Lizzette  haf  catch  some  for  you,  anyway." 

Margaret  opened  the  door  just  then  and  the  three 
sat  down  to  discuss  the  important  move. 

"  Honestly,  Lizzette,  now,  do  you  think  L  can  man- 
age their  great  dinners  ?  Why,  I  haven't  the  least  idea 
how  to  plan  any  work  beyond  my  own  little  kitchen." 

"  Vraiment,  c'est  une  bagatelle  ven  you  haf  got  ze 
hang  of  sings.  Nefer  you  fear.  I  take  you  under  my 
wing  for  three,  four  days  and  zen  we  vill  see!  Ze 
chance  was  so  tres-bon  to  help  Margaret " 

"And  all  of  us,"  interrupted  Elsie  softly. 

''  Oui ;  ze  pomme  de  terre  and  ze  sel  go  by  ze  board 
now,  eh,  Elsie  ?  " 

**  O  Lizzette,  what  a  good  friend  you  have  been !  " 
exclaimed  Margaret. 

"  Bah !  eet  ees  only  selfishness.  I  want  myself  some 
good  sings  to  eat.     Now,  Elsie,  I  gif  you  my  recipes; 


114  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

vous  savez  zat  you  read  zem  wiz  care  and  learn  zem 
by  heart.  Sans  doubte,  you  exercise  your  skill  to  ze 
charm  of  madam." 

''  Tell  us  about  her." 

'*  Zare  ees  but  leetle  to  tell.  I  vork  in  ze  kitchen  de 
sa  mere  zese  many  year.  I  make  ze  good  friends  of 
Helen  and  Herbeart — ah,  Herbeart,  mon  cher  ami,  il 
est  un  galant  homme,  and  I  knows  ze  folly  of  Helen 
like  ze  book.  She  ees  vain  and  haughty;  mais,  her 
heart  ees  not  mechante.  You  vill  grow  into  ze  good 
friends  some  time." 

"  I  don't  expect  that,"  said  Elsie.  "All  I  ask  is  not 
to  be  tyrannized  over.  I  am  conservative  enough  to 
recognize  the  gulf  society  places  between  us,  and  I 
shall  endeavor  to  keep  to  my  side  of  the  fence." 

"Vous  avez  raison.  Still,  I  make  ze  meestake  eef 
Helen  Mason  do  not  herself  some  time  break  down  ze 
barrier.  Zare  are  some  sings  zat  vill  not  be  made  to 
see  de  fausses  idees  de  grandeur." 

"  It  is  not  wise  ever  to  hope  for  such  a  thing,"  said 
Margaret,  fearful  that  Elsie  might  be  carried  away  by 
Lizzette's  volatile  spirits.  "We  have  our  work  to  do 
in  our  own  sphere,  and  we  know  that  we  can  achieve 
all  that  is  in  us  by  working  faithfully  within  our  own 
lines.  If  we  hope  for  recognition  outside  of  these 
lines,  it  will  but  breed  disappointment  and  discontent." 

"  Have  no  fear  for  me,  my  sweet  sister,"  replied 
Elsie  with  sparkling  eyes.  "  I  shall  never  yearn  for  a 
world  greater  than  that  of  our  own  little  quintette, 
wherein  Lizzette,  Gilbert,  and  I  furnish  the  brawn  and 
capital — I    feel  like  a   bloated  bondholder    already — 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  I15 

and  Antoine  and  Margaret  represent  the  culture.  But 
to  stop  nonsense  and  come  down  to  practical  things. 
Since  I  am  to  represent  the  capital  of  our  community, 
I  must  have  the  chief  direction  of  affairs,  otherwise 
behold  in  me  '  the  iron  hand,'  etc.  What  are  we  to  do 
with  our  three-years'  lease  of  our  desolate  home  ?  " 

*'Eef  ze  agents  vill  not  rebuild,  Margaret  and  Gil- 
beart  sail  stay  wiz  me  and  so  still  work  ze  land." 

"  No,"  said  Margaret  decisively.  "  The  hardest  part 
of  this  apparent  good  fortune  that  has  befallen  Elsie  is 
that  it  takes  her  from  home.  I  cannot  endure  it  long-, 
and  if  Elsie  remains  with  Mrs.  Mason  I  shall  take 
rooms  in  the  city  as  near  as  I  can  find  them,  and  Gil- 
bert must  bring  her  to  us  every  evening.  We  must 
not  break  the  home  ties." 

"  That  will  be  glorious,"  exclaimed  Elsie. 

"  Non,"  said  Lizzette,  tears  springing  to  her  eyes. 
"Eet  vill  bring  ze  heart  break  to  Antoine  and  Lizzette 
Minaud." 

''No,  no,"  said  Margaret  and  Elsie  together,  "you 
shall  come  to  us  every  day  after  market  hours,  and 
Antoine  can  be  with  us  two-thirds  of  the  time." 

"  I  know  zat  vill  be  ze  best  for  Elsie ;  but  ees  eet 
possible  ?  Ze  docteur,  he  say  zat  you  vork  not  till  ze 
spring.  You  must  obey  ze  command,  if  strength  sail 
come  back  to  you." 

"  T  know,"  replied  Margaret.  "  How  would  it  suit 
you  to  take  a  sub-lease  of  the  land,  if  satisfactory  ar- 
rangements can  be  made  with  the  agents  ?  " 

"  Eet  vill  be  ze  very  sing." 


Il6  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACV. 

''  In  that  event  the  manual-training  school  for  Gil- 
bert is  the  next  move,  and  I  shall  be  compelled  to  ask 
Dr.  Ely  for  a  further  advance  on  the  books." 

"And  be  sure  to  add  that  I  can  very  soon  repay  it 
out  of  my  independent  income,"  laughed  Elsie. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  II7 


CHAPTER   X. 

The  mansion  of  Helen  Mason  was  a  treasure  house 
of  art  in  pictures,  draperies,  furniture,  bric-a-brac,  and 
all  those  distinguishing  characteristics  of  wealth  and 
culture.  In  one  particular  it  was  somewhat  unique; 
everything  was  genuine,  from  the  old  masters  to  the 
spoons.  The  fair  mistress  of  the  house  hated  pretence, 
and  although  an  ardent  believer  in  the  divine  right  of 
kings,  she  recognized  none  of  them  in  a  tinsel  crown. 
The  child  of  wealthy  and  aristocratic  parents,  in  whom 
the  old  noblesse  oblige  had  taken  deep  root,  she  had 
grown  to  look  upon  her  station  in  life  as  the  outgrowth 
of  a  certain  fixed  law  which  bestows  upon  men  the 
positions  for  which  they  are  best  fitted.  If  there  were 
suffering,  struggling  mortals  on  planes  far  below  hers 
in  social  advantages,  no  doubt  the  sufferings  arose 
principally  from  their  efforts  to  fit  themselves  into 
niches  for  which  they  were  not  made.  It  seemed 
singular  to  her  undisturbed  mind  that  there  should  be 
such  a  seething  discontent  among  the  masses.  Why 
couldn't  people  be  satisfied  to  go  the  way  they  were 
called  ?  Why  were  they  trying  all  the  time  to  subvert 
society  and  make-  one  fairly  afraid  of  her  life  with 
these  horrible  physical  force  movements  and  plots  and 
counterplots  of  all  kinds  ?  It  was  so  much  better  every 
way  for  people  to  learn  contentment.  She  believed 
the  doctrine  was  too  little  preached,  and  she  meant  to 


Il8  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

Speak  to  her  pastor,  the  white  high-bred  rector  of  St. 
Paul's,  about  it.  He  must  really  exert  his  influence 
over  these  misguided  people  who  were  so  clamorous 
for  places  for  which  they  were  not  destined.  Believ- 
ing as  she  did  in  the  doctrine  of  every  man  to  his  place, 
she  strove  with  a  zeal  of  a  prophet  in  her  own  little 
domain  to  make  that  place  the  best  of  its  kind.  Her 
servants  were  accordingly  well  lodged,  fed,  and  paid, 
albeit  they  were  trained  to  their  duties  with  the  pre- 
cision of  a  martinet.  Haughty,  imperious  in  some 
things,  while  childishly  dependent  in  others,  she  was 
at  the  same  time  a  good  mistress,  and  by  no  means 
unfriendly  to  her  dependents.  She  intended  to  accord 
them  the  rights  of  their  class,  as  she  exacted  a  rever- 
ent homage  for  the  privileges  of  her  own  ;  but  she  was 
far  from  admitting  that  those  rights  could  in  any  way 
transcend  the  limits  of  a  certain  material  consideration. 
The  finer  qualities  of  the  soul,  such  as  innate  delicacy 
of  perception  and  the  instinctive  appreciation  of  true 
refinement,  could  not  be  theirs  by  reason  of  the  stamp 
of  poverty  and  the  miillstone  of  low  association  which 
precluded  cultivation.  It  was  a  theory  of  hers  that 
only  generations  of  wealth  and  leisure  could  produce 
the  highest  types,  and  she  had  consequently  a  great 
scorn  for  the  nouveaux  riches  of  modern  society  and 
their  blundering  attempts  to  imitate  English  customs 
and  cockney  ''  fads."  As  a  rule  her  servants  were  loyal 
and  obedient,  and  she  was  wise  enough  to  see  that  her 
little  investment  in  humanity  yielded  usurious  interest 
v/hich  she  was  by  no  means  disposed  to  undervalue. 
She  had  been  proud  of  having  the  best-equipped  home, 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 19 

the  most  perfectly-trained  servants,  and  the  most  noted 
chef  in  the  city.  It  was,  therefore,  with  no  Httle  trepida- 
tion that  she  awaited  the  coming  of  Lizzette  and  Elsie, 
and  contemplated  yielding  the  dominion  of  her  kitchen 
to  *'  that  young  thing."  Mr.  Mason  had  laughed  at  her 
when  she  recounted  the  result  of  her  attempt  to  secure 
Lizzette,  and  had  said,  by  way  of  administering  com- 
fort to  her  perturbed  spirit:  "That  is  just  about  as 
quixotic  as  women's  schemes  usually  are.  My  word  for 
it,  she  will  not  have  been  three  days  in  the  house  before 
the  present  discomfort  will  be  intensified,  and  we  shall 
end  by  having  to  order  our  meals  from  the  caterer." 

It  was  now  nearing  the  hour  of  ten,  and  she  was 
impatient  to  settle  details  with  Lizzette  and  feel  the 
troublesome  experiment  partially  off  her  hands.  As 
she  sat  idly  tapping  one  foot  against  the  brass  fender 
of  the  blue-tiled  grate  in  her  morning-room,  she  was 
a  fair  type  of  the  cultured,  self-poised,  well-dressed 
woman  of  society.  Her  face  was  chiefly  remarkable 
for  a  pair  of  keen  gray  eyes,  with  heavy  black  lashes 
and  straight  brows.  The  remaining  features  were 
nondescript,  with  a  colorless  skin  and  dark  brown  hair 
handsomely  coiffured,  for  setting.  A  keen,  cold,  some- 
what intellectual  face  had  been  Elsie's  thought  on 
first  seeing  her,  and  she  felt  sure  that  she  should  hate 
her.  She  felt  the  same  conviction  sweep  over  her  now 
as  she  and  Lizzette  stood  in  the  presence  of  the  mis- 
tress of  the  magnificent  home. 

"  Be  seated,"  she  said,  motioning  them  to  seats. 
"  I  presume  Lizzette  has  informed  you  that  I  am 
a  strict   disciplinarian   and   require   the   most   perfect 


I20  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

obedience.  If  that  is  rendered  you  will  not  find  me  a 
hard  mistress." 

"  I  should  not  have  come  if  I  had  not  expected  to 
obey  orders,"  replied  Elsie.  "  My  only  fear  is  that  m.y 
inexperience  may  try  your  patience." 

"As  to  that  I  shall  hold  Lizzette  responsible;  and 
now,  while  Lizzette  will  at  once  post  you  in  regard  to 
matters  below  stairs,  I  will  give  you  our  hours  for 
meals,  and  shall  expect  you  to  report  to  me  promptly 
every  morning  at  ten  o'clock  to  receive  orders  for  the 
day.  Lizzette  will  at  present  do  my  buying;  but  you 
must  of  course  go  with,  her  until  you  have  familiarized 
yourself  with  prices  and  materials.  Here  is  to-day's 
menu,  which  by  the  way,  as  to  the  main  dishes,  I  always 
prepare  myself.  You  may  have  noticed  as  you  came 
through  the  house  that  the  maids  are  in  uniform.  I 
shall  expect  you  to  wear  one,  and  you  w^ill  find  your 
allotment  of  white  aprons,  caps,  and  kerchiefs  in  this 
basket.  Here,  Lizzette,  you  may  as  well  invest  your- 
self in  one,  too." 

"  Helas!  zese  nevv^  idees  vill  do  for  la  jeune  fille  like 
Elsie.  Mais,  ze  brown  face  of  Lizzette  Minaud  look 
not  so  well  from  under  ze  white  cap.  Still  I  obey  ze 
mistress  !  " 

"  Just  as  you  always  did,"  laughed  Mrs.  Mason, 
pressing  an  electric  button,  which  almost  immediately 
brought  a  maid  to  the  door. 

''  Show  Elsie,  our  new  cook,  to  her  room.  Stay  with 
me,  Lizzette.  I  wish  to  speak  vrith  you."  Elsie  picked 
up  her  satchel  and  basket  and  followed  the  maid,  who 
eyed  her  curiously,  but  vouchsafed  no  word.     "  Here," 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  121 

she  said  sentcntiously,  opening  a  door  of  a  roomy, 
comfortable  bedroom  on  the  third  floor. 

Elsie  hastily  entered  and  closed  the  door  behind  her. 
Then  dropping  satchel  and  basket,  she  threw  herself  on 
the  floor  beside  them  and  cried  out :  "  O  Meg,  Meg, 
Meg,  how  hard  life  is  away  from  you  and  your  serene 
courage !  How  lovely  all  our  theories  are  until  we  have 
to  put  them  into  practice.  I  shall  hate  that  woman,  I 
know.  Dear  me  !  this  won't  do.  I  shall  have  a  red  nose. 
Now  let's  see  how  I  look  in  the  new  prison  garb,"  and 
volatile  Elsie  bounded  to  her  feet,  and  speedily  in- 
vested herself  in  the  white  muslin  cap  with  its  narrow 
frill  and  the  accompanying  kerchief  and  apron. 

''  Not  so  bad,  after  all,"  she  said,  as  she  eyed  herself 
In  the  glass,  and  a  roguish  dimple  nestled  in  her  cheek 
as  she  viewed  the  picture.  It  was  pretty  enough  to 
tempt  the  vanity  of  the  Quaker  maiden  she  resembled. 
The  dainty  frill  above  the  black  rings  of  hair,  the  fichu 
folded  smoothly  across  her  breast,  and  the  long  apron 
with  its  big  pockets,  seemed  exactly  fitted  to  the 
piquant  face  and  slender  form.  ''Well,  there's  some 
satisfaction  in  not  looking  like  a  fright,"  she  said  as 
she  descended  the  stairs. 

The  morning-room  door  stood  open  and  Mrs.  Ma- 
son and  Lizzette  could  scarcely  repress  a  start  of 
surprise  as  the  dainty  maiden  stepped  upon  the 
threshold.  "She  look  like  ze  picture  of  ze  old  time," 
exclaimed  Lizzette.  Mrs.  Mason  made  no  reply  as 
she  handed  Elsie  a  memorandum-book  and  pencil, 
which  with  keys  to  pantry  and  store-room  were  to  be 
suspended  at  her  belt. 


122  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"  Now  you  are  equipped,  I  believe,  and  Lizzette  will 
take  you  in  charge.     I  wish  you  the  best  of  success." 

When  the  two  had  departed,  Mrs.  Mason  stood 
where  they  had  left  her  with  downcast  eyes  gazing  into 
the  grate.  "  What  a  lovely  face,"  she  mused.  "  So  full 
of  fire  and  strength  and — v/ell,  yes,  I  suppose  I  must 
admit  it — refinement!  She  looked  like  a  queen  in 
masquerade  as  she  stood  in  the  doorway.  But  then 
nature  indulges  in  freaks  of  that  kind  sometimes. 
Lizzette  tells  me  they  were  always  as  poor  as  church 
mice.  What  an  absurdity/  I  am  perpetrating  in  put- 
ting her  in  my  kitchen ;  but  my  old  brown  Lizzette 
is  always  as  good  as  her  word,  and  we  shall  see  what 
will  come  of  it." 

The  force  of  servants  in  the  Mason  household  con- 
sisted of  James,  the  English-looking  butler,  of  whom 
Elsie  was  secretly  afraid,  because  his  gaze  of  admira- 
tion was  so  open  ;  William,  the  coachman  ;  Martha  and 
Mary,  the  two  house-maids ;  and  Jenie,  the  little  kitchen- 
maid  of  twelve  years.  They  all  knew^  Lizzette,  who, 
being  a  privileged  character  about  the  Mason  mansion, 
was  free  to  do  pretty  much  as  she  liked,  and  when,  in 
response  to  her  call,  they  gathered  in  the  below-stairs 
parlor,  which  also  served  them  for  dining-room,  they 
received  Elsie  with  unction. 

"  It  hain't  a  bad  place,  miss,"  said  James  patroniz- 
ingly. "  I've  been  with  the  family  five  years,  and  I 
can't  say  as  I've  'ad  a  'ard  time  by  no  means." 

"  I  should  say  not,"  laughed  Martha.  ''  James  thinks 
as  he  owns  the  hull  place." 

"Ceptin'  you,"  added  Mary. 


A    NEW   /M<ISTOCRACY.  1 23 

"  I  wouldn't  own  such  poor  property,  no'ow,"  said 
James  with  offended  dignity. 

''That  ain't  me,"  exclaimed  William  with  a  sly 
chuckle.  "  I've  just  been  a-dyin'  to  own  both  on  you 
girls  for  months." 

"Oh,  you  horrid  Mormon,"  chorused  the  girls; 
''you'll  be  wanting  the  new  cook  too,  next."  The 
blood  flamed  into  Elsie's  cheeks  and  an  ominous 
sparkle  gleamed  for  a  moment  beneath  the  downcast 
lids;  but,  with  a  struggle  that  was  only  noticed  by 
Lizzette,  she  raised  her  eyes  to  William's  round,  honest 
face. 

"  I  think  we  shall  all  grow  to  be  good  friends;  but 
you  must  be  very  patient  with  me  until  I  have  learned 
the  ways  here." 

The  sweet  face,  the  timid,  deprecating  manner,  the 
ladylike  voice,  awoke  varying  emotions  in  the  breasts 
of  Elsie's  little  audience.  "You  bet,"  exclaimed  Wil- 
liam hastily. 

"  Oh,  of  course,"  said  James,  and  then  stopped  con- 
fusedly as  he  recollected  how  near  he  had  been  to 
saying  "  Madam!  " 

Martha  and  Mary  looked  at  each  other  and  sniffed. 
"  Stuck  up,"  they  whispered  as  they  passed  out  to 
their  various  duties;  but  little  Jenie  slipped  her  hand 
into  Elsie's  and  said  simply,  "  I  like  you." 

"  Courage,  ma  chere,"  whispered  Lizzette  ;  "  now  we 
haf  nosing  but  ze  dinner  to  sink  of." 

In  recounting  the  day's  experience  afterward  to 
Margaret,  Elsie  always  alluded  to  Lizzette  as  her 
"  colossal  spinal  column ;  "  for  in  reality  Lizzette  was 


124  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

the  main  director  and  executor  of  the  day's  work. 
Elsie  obediently  followed  directions ;  but  her  native 
force  and  ingenuity  seemed  to  have  deserted  her,  which 
made  even  Lizzette  a  trifle  doubtful  of  the  vvisdom  of 
her  experiment.  But  when  everything  was  finally 
made  snug  for  the  night,  and  Lizzette  was  leaving  for 
home,  Elsie  said  bravely,  though  tears  stood  under 
the  curved  lashes,  *'  I  shall  do  much  better  to-miorrow. 
Tell  Margaret  I've  got  the  'hang'  of  the  ship's  tackle, 
and  to-morrow  she'll  sail." 

''  Nevair  fear,"  said  Lizzette  lightly,  as  she  imprinted 
a  kiss  on  either  rosy  cheek,  and  steadily  ignored  the 
trembling  drops  in  the  dark  eyes.  "  Eet  sail  be  ze 
brave  capitaine  on  ze  deck,  too." 

The  next  morning,  with  the  edge  of  strangeness 
somewhat  blunted,  Elsie  was  able  to  send  up  the  break- 
fast in  excellent  style,  and  Mrs.  Mason  was  therefore 
prepared  to  receive  her  with  a  manner  a  trifle  less 
severe  than  that  of  the  day  before. 

'J  Your  breakfast  was  well  prepared,"  she  said  as 
Elsie  stood  before  her,  note-book  and  pencil  in  hand, 
to  receive  orders.  ''  If  the  dinner  is  as  satisfactory  I 
shall  feel  no  further  uneasiness." 

"  I  shall  endeavor  to  improve  as  I  become  accus- 
tomed to  things,  and  I  shall  hope  to  satisfy  you  in 
every  way.  I  love  to  cook,  and  the  kitchen  is  so  ad- 
mirably appointed  that  what  has  hitherto  been  a  mere 
passion  I  may  be  able  to  elevate  into  the  great  art 
that  Lizzette  calls  it." 

"  Lizzette  is  an  enthusiast." 

*'  It  takes  enthusiasm  to  succeed  in  anything,  and  it 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACV.  12$ 

is  because  I  love  my  work  that  I  expect  to  please 
you." 

Mrs.  Mason  looked  at  Elsie  curiously.  How  quietly, 
yet  with  what  seemingly  unconscious  dignity,  she  ut- 
tered those  few  well-chosen  words.  If  she  had  been 
mistress  instead  of  servant  they  could  not  have  been 
better  expressed  or  more  charmingly  enunciated. 
There  could  be  no  question  of  efficiency  with  such  in- 
telligence ;  but  oh,  there  was  the  fear,  always  oppress- 
ing one  so  with  these  "  lady  helps,"  that  she  would  get 
above  her  business.  So  to  Elsie's  little  burst  of  con- 
fidence she  said  coldly,  ''As  long  as  you  keep  strictly 
to  your  line  of  duty  I  shall  be  satisfied." 

"You  have  nothing  to  fear  on  that  score,  Mrs. 
Mason.  I  know  my  place  as  *  Elsie  the  cook.'  Have 
you  any  further  orders  ?  " 

"  Nothing  more  to-day." 

Mrs.  Mason  smiled  triumphantly  as  she  watched  the 
blood  deepen  in  Elsie's  cheeks  as  she  left  the  room. 
"The  girl  is  as  proud  as  Lucifer;  but  it  is  not  a  usual 
pride,  I  must  confess." 

At  the  close  of  the  week  Elsie  found  that  her  end 
of  the  domestic  machinery  was  running  quietly  and 
smoothly.  She  had  already  made  friends  with  the 
other  servants,  who,  while  recognizing  the  air  of  self- 
respecting  womanhood  that  would  neither  give  nor  per- 
mit low  jests  or  rude  actions,  could  not  fail  to  be 
drawn  by  the  simplicity  of  her  manner  and  her  frank, 
straightforward  way  of  looking  at  things.  Insensibly 
the  loud-voiced  talk  and  rude  horse-play  formerly  in 
vogue  among  them  began  to  disappear.    James'  osten- 


126  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

tatious  display  of  knowledge  gradually  weakened  before 
Elsie's  clear  eyes  and  plain  questions;  William  left 
his  stable-talk  at  the  door,  together  with  his  coat  and 
boots,  and  came  to  his  meals  in  patent-leather  pumps, 
velveteen  roundabout,  and  hair  saturated  with  patch- 
ouli. The  house-maids  had  less  gossip  of  the  upper 
regions  to  retail,  and  Jenie's  smutty  frock  was  invaria- 
bly replaced  by  a  clean  one  at  meal-time. 

"  Ze  leetle  witch,"  exclaimed  Lizzette  to  Margaret. 
"  She  haf  got  zere  necks  under  her  heel  so  quick  !  And 
ze  funny  part  ees  zey  know  eet  not  at  all." 

*'  I  doubt  if  Elsie  does,"  replied  Margaret.  *'  For 
after  all  it  is  only  the  power  of  judiciously  exhibited 
self-respect." 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACV.  12/ 


CHAPTER    XL 

There  was  a  subdued  bustle  in  the  Mason  mansion 
which  betokened  an  unusual  event.  Covers  were  re- 
moved from  unused  furniture,  long-closed  rooms  were 
newly  aired  and  decorated,  windows  were  opened  to 
the  sunlight,  and  hot-houses  were  ransacked  for  potted 
plants  and  cut  flowers.  In  the  store-rooms  of  Elsie's 
department  tables  and  shelves  were  piled  high  with 
viands  of  every  sort,  the  combined  result  of  Lizzette's 
and  Elsie's  skill ;  for  Elsie  had  been  afraid  on  so  mo- 
mentous an  occasion  to  trust  entirely  to  herself. 

"  And  all  this  fuss  is  over  one  small  man,"  whispered 
Elsie  to  Lizzette  as  they  stood  admiring  the  aggrega- 
tion of  eatables.     "  Has  he  been  starving  among  the 
Hottentots  all  these  years,  or  is  he  a  great  gourmand  ?  " 
"  Nezair,"  laughed  Lizzette.     "  II  est  ze  apple  of  ze 
eye   of   Helen   Mason.     Zay  are  alone  togezzer  in  ze 
world,  and  ze  one  sweet  sing  in  Helen  Mason  ees  her 
love  for  Herbeart.     Mais,  he  ees  tres  cher  efen  to  me. 
So  vot  you   call  warm-hearted,  wiz  ze  bonhomie  zat 
make  ze  world  bright.    He  travel  in  Europe  zese  several 
year,  and  like  Helen  il  a  I'argent  in  heaps  I  know  not." 
*'  What  has  he  made  of  himself  ?  " 
''  Eh  bien.     Vraiment,  le  galant  homme!  " 
"  A  gentleman!    A  noble  profession      How  does  he 
doit?" 


128  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

''  Ze  witch  ees  laughing !  I  no  explain  to  zose  mock- 
ing eyes." 

"  Never  mind,  Lizzette.  There  is  something  so 
charmingly  indefinite  about  the  term  '  gentleman  '  that 
I  was  only  trying  to  discover  what  particular  form 
this  rara  avis  took." 

"  He  choose  no  profession  zat  I  know.  He  no  haf 
to  work." 

"  Unlucky  mortal!  How  he  will  envy  us,  Lizzette! 
But  tell  me  about  him.     Does  he  resemble  his  sister  ?  " 

"  Not  ze  leetle  bit.  •  II  a  les  eyes  like  ze  summer 
sky,  zay  are  so  blue.  II  est  so  tall  like  ze  young  tree. 
His  hair  ees  ze  sunshine  of  ze  autumn,  and  his  smile 
like  ze  warmth  of  ze  summer  sun." 

"Scorching,"  exclaimed  Elsie.  "  How  glad  I  am  I 
shall  not  come  under  its  gleams ;  for  I  would  rather 
cook  his  dinner  than  be  cooked  by  that  smile!  " 

"  Ze  mauvaise  Elsie!  She  make  ze  fun  of  eferysing, 
efen  my  heart.  I  haf  loved  him  since  many  year  he 
climb  my  knee,  and  I  only  speak  ze  figures  de  la 
poesie." 

"  My  dear  Lizzette,"  exclaimed  Elsie  contritely,  "  I 
do  not  make  fun  of  your  love,  nor  of  your  similes, 
which  really  are  quite  wonderful.  Indeed,  I  never 
knew  you  so  eloquent  before;  but  this  worship  of 
yours  for  the  fair  god  is  so  new  to  miC,  I  did  not  know 
that  men  were  entitled  to  so  much." 

"Ze  time  vill  come,  ma  petite  Elsie,  ze  time  vill 
come  ven  zat  mocking  heart  sail  take  back  zose  idle 
words." 

"  How  solemn  you  are,  Lizzette.     You  frighten  me." 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 29 

''  Non,  non,  mais,  zere  ecs  no  love  like  ze  true  love 
in  ze  heart  of  ze  good  woman." 

''It  may  be,"  said  Elsie  lightly,  *' but  like  the  old 
Scotchwoman's  white  linen,  '  it  taks  a  sair  bit  o'  achin' 
ta  get  it,'  and  I've  no  desire  to  prove  it." 

"  Eet  vill  prove  itself  in  ze  heart,  and  no  ask  desire." 

'Dear  me!  how  far  we  have  wandered  from  our 
m.uttons.  I  suppose  your  paragon  dines  here  to- 
night ? " 

"  Oui,  and  to-morrow  I  sail  go  shake  ze  hand  de 
mon  Herbeart,  and  find  him  still  ze  same." 

"  Perhaps  not." 

"  I  know,"  said  Lizzette  positively.  "  My  lad  ees 
not  made  of  ze  sheap  stuff  zat  wear  out  memory." 

The  next  morning  as  Elsie,  in  response  to  Mrs. 
Mason's  invitation,  entered  the  morning-room,  she  be- 
came at  once  aware  that  its  fair  mistress  was  not  its 
only  occupant.  Partially  concealed  behind  a  news- 
paper she  saw  a  blonde  head,  out  of  which  a  pair  of 
blue  eyes  gave  her  a  quick  glance,  and  she  noticed 
with  an  odd  sense  of  detail  that  their  owner  wore  a 
dark  blue  smoking-jacket  with  facings  of  pale  blue 
satin.  There  was  also  a  running  accompaniment  of 
observation  as  to  a  slim  white  hand,  the  curling  ends 
of  a  blonde  mustache,  and  an  air  of  indolent  grace  in 
the  long  lithe  figure.  Venturing  but  one  glance,  she 
stood  with  book  and  pencil  in  hand,  quietly  awaiting 
Mrs.  Mason's  orders.  It  had  been  one  of  the  results 
of  Elsie  Murchison's  secluded  life  and  country  rearing 
that  no  one  had  ever  told  her  how  beautiful  she  was, 
and  if  she  could  but  read  the  pleasing  tale  in  her 
9 


I30  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

mirror  she  accepted  it  in  as  humble  and  thankful  a 
spirit  as  she  accepted  the  sunshine  and  the  flowers, 
and  there  was  always  a  refreshing  unconsciousness 
about  her  that  reminded  one  of  the  innocence  of  a 
child.  If  she  ever  knew  how  charming  a  picture  she 
made  as  she  stood  before  her  mistress  with  downcast 
eyes  and  flushed  cheeks  and  the  quaint  cap  and  ker- 
chief only  intensifying  her  girlish  simplicity,  it  was  not 
till  long  after.  The  natural  flush  of  youthful  expec- 
tancy at  coming  in  contact  with  the  young  and  hand- 
some man  before  her  Avas  crushed  back.under  the  self- 
scorn  with  Avhich  she  regarded  any  vague  desire,  as 
she  expressed  it,  to  "  look  over  the  fence."  Not  for 
one  moment  would  she  allow  herself  to  forget  that 
she  was  ''  Elsie  the  cook,"  and  a  little  defiant  curve  set- 
tled around  the  dimpled  mouth  as  she  became  aware 
of  the  intent  gaze  of  those  blue  eyes  over  the  top  of 
the  newspaper.  It  was  with  haste  amounting  almost 
to  curtness  that  she  received  her  orders  and  betook 
herself  out  of  the  room. 

There  were  two  or  three  moments  of  silence  after 
Elsie's  departure,  and  then  Mrs.  Mason's  guest  threw 
down  his  paper  with  the  question :  "  Where  in  the 
name  of  all  the  graces,  Helen,  did  you  find  such  a 
Hebe  as  that  ?  " 

There  Avas  a  steely  flash  in  Mrs.  Mason's  eyes  as 
she  answered :  ''  Have  you  been  half  the  world  over, 
Herbert  Lynn,  only  to  come  home  and  rave  over  the 
beauty  of  my  cook  ?  " 

"  Cook  ?  I  thought  Lizzette  was  responsible  for 
that  superb  dinner  last  evening." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  I31 

"  So  she  was  in  part ;  but  this  girl,  Elsie  Murchison, 
is  a  protege  of  hers  whom  I  have  engaged  for  a  short 
time  until  I  can  do  better." 

"  Well,  if  her  cooking  corresponds  to  her  beauty  she 
must  be  a  treasure." 

"  That  is  what  James  and  William  both  declare  her 
to  be,"  replied  Mrs.  Mason  calmly. 

"  Oh,  of  course,  just  their  style  of  girl,"  and  Mr. 
Lynn  resumed  the  reading  of  his  newspaper,  as  if  the 
subject  had  no  further  interest  for  him. 

'' Singular,"  he  mused,  while  his  eyes  roamed  over 
an  editorial  resume  of  the  Parnell  inquiry,  ''what  sur- 
prises nature  does  love  to  work,  putting  the  face  of 
an  houri  over  a  mind  that  doubtless  shames  a  Nancy 
Sykes.  Helen's  cook,  indeed !  but,  by  Jove!  I  never 
saw  so  lovely  a  face  before." 

After  this,  despite  the  black  looks  of  his  sister, 
Herbert  took  especial  delight  in  haunting  the  morning- 
room  at  the  usual  hour  of  her  conference  with  her 
cook.  He  was  seldom  rewarded  by  hearing  the  Hebe 
speak,  and  then  only  in  monosyllables ;  but  he  noticed 
she  had  "that  excellent  thing  in  woman,"  a  well- 
modulated  voice,  as  well  as  a  quiet  and  reserved 
manner. 

"  Herbert,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Mason  with  an  angry 
flash  in  her  gray  eyes,  after  he  had  been  present  at  the 
third  or  fourth  of  these  conferences,  "  I'll  not  have 
you  watching  that  girl  so,  and  I  warn  you  that  my 
house  is  not  the  place  for  any  old-world  gallantries." 

The  mild  blue  eyes  met  her  own  for  an  instant  with 
an  equally  angry  glance,  which,  however,  speedily  died 


132  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

away  by  the  time  the  nonchalant  lips  had  framed  an 
answer.  "  I  believe  I've  been  doing  nothing  unbe- 
coming a  gentleman." 

"  Well,  I  only  drop  you  a  warning.  I  know  what 
the  views  of  young  men  usually  are  after  they  have 
spent  a  season  in  Paris." 

*' You  are  wise  in  your  generation,"  he  said  with  a 
slight  touch  of  scorn,  ''When  did  you  learn  of  the 
all-pervading  blight  of  that  m^odern  Gomorrah  ?  " 

''  Don't  try  to  be  lofty  with  me,"  pettishly  exclaimed 
his  sister.  "You  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  no  good 
can  come  of  your  admiring  that  girl." 

"  And  what  possible  harm  can  come  of  it  ?  I  have 
done  nothing  reprehensible,  except  to  bestow  a  fevv^ 
quick  glances  upon  a  fair  and  youthful  face.  If  she  is 
not  to  be  looked  at,  you  must  veil  her  like  the  prophet 
of  Khorassan.  As  for  your  insinuations — well,  if  men 
go  to  the  devil  as  regularly  and  deliberately  as  you 
seem  to  think,  it  is  often  because  they  are  driven  there 
by  the  cool  assumptions  of  women  like  yourself.  Now, 
my  dear  sister,  let  me  disabuse  your  mind  once  for  all 
of  the  fear  that  I  have  imbibed  nothing  but  old-world 
vices  in  my  continental  trip.  I  always  did  respect 
virtuous  womanhood  and  always  shall.  I  shall  not  in 
the  least  harm  your  Hebe  of  the  pots  and  pans,  but  to 
relieve  your  mind  I'll  read  the  papers  hereafter  in  the 
billiard-room." 

''"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Mason,  after  Herbert  had  some- 
what ostentatiously  departed,  and  she  was  left  to 
ruminate  on  not  over-sweet  fancies,  "  I  fancy  I've  fore- 
stalled any  absurd  ideas  that  might  get  into   Elsie's 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 33 

head,  and  although  I  am  growing  to  Hke  her  better 
every  day,  just  let  me  catch  her  making  eyes  at  Her- 
bert!  " 

"  Elsie,"  said  Mrs.  Mason  the  next  morning,  "  we 
are  all  going  out  for  the  day,  and  you  may  have  your 
time  to  yourself.  I've  given  the  maids  a  half-holiday 
and  there'll  be  nobody  at  home  but  James." 

Elsie  stood  for  a  moment  irresolute.  A  swift  desire 
had  all  but  leaped  to  her  lips— but  dare  she  make  it 
known  ? 

"  What  is  it,  Elsie?  "  asked  her  mistress,  evidently 
more  graciously  disposed  than  usual. 

''I  would  like  to  ask  a  great  favor.  If  there  is  to 
be  no  one  in  the  house  m.ay  I  try  the  piano  ?  " 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  you  played  the  piano,"  said 
Mrs.  Mason  a  trifle  coldly.      Elsie's  face  flushed. 

"  I  do  not.  I  never  touched  one  in  my  life  ;  but  I 
have  a  longing  to  see  what  I  can  do.  There  isn't  vol- 
ume and  scope  enough  in  our  little  cottage  organ,  and 
I  promised  Antoine  to  ask  permission  to  try  the  piano. 
He  is  so  much  interested  in  music  and  finds  so  much 
pleasure  in  learning  that  I  love  to  help  him  even  in 
little  things." 

"  I  see  no  objection  in  the  present  instance;  but  you 
of  course  understand  that  I  regard  the  request  as  an 
unusual  one  for  a  servant  to  make  ?  " 

*'  I  do,"  said  Elsie  hotly  as  she  turned  away,  "  and 
I  will  not " 

Back  swept  the  red  blood  from  Elsie's  face,  and  a 
white,  dull  patience  overspread  it  as  she  took  up  the 
broken  thread  of  her  speech. 


134  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"  Mrs.  Mason,  I  was  going  to  say  that  I  would  not 
touch  your  piano  for  worlds  !  You  seem  to  be  afraid 
all  the  time  that  I  will  forget  the  difference  in  our 
station  and  presurne  upon  it.  Have  I  done  so  ?  Have 
I  been  less  than  obedient,  or  indicated  by  word  or  look 
that  I  thought  myself  anything  more  than  a  servant  ? 
But  even  servants  have  the  common  right  of  humanity, 
and  I  asked  a  favor,  knowing  it  to  be  a  favor,  because 
of  the  crippled  boy  I  love  and  the  sick  sister  who 
taught  me  to  love  and  do  for  all  things  helpless  and 
dependent.  If  it  were  not  for  them  no  money  would 
tempt  me  to  stay  where  I  am  not  trusted ;  but  they 
are  helpless  and  in  need.  I  shall  never  ask  any  further 
favors  of  you,  Mrs.  Mason;  but  if  you  still  wish  to 
keep  me  I  shall  try,  as  I  have  tried,  to  be  obedient  and 
faithful  to  your  interests." 

Mrs.  Mason  sat  for  a  moment  without  speaking,  and 
then  suddenly  reached  out  her  hand  to  Elsie.  "  Come 
back,  child,"  she  said,  "  and  sit  down.  I  want  to  talk 
with  you." 

Elsie  cam.e  back  from  the  door  and  stood  before  her 
mistress.     "  Sit  down,"  reiterated  Mrs.  Mason. 

"  It  is  expected  that  servants  will  stand  in  the  pres- 
ence of  their  superiors,"  answered  Elsie  with  the  old 
mischievous  sparkle  in  her  eyes. 

Mrs.  Mason  laughed.  ''  I  like  your  spirit,  anyway. 
I  really  haven't  any  objection  to  your  using  the  piano 
when  we  are  away.  I'm  glad  you  are  ambitious  to 
cultivate  yourself;  but  you  mustn't  make  the  mistake 
of  regarding  a  little  superficial  finish  as  cultivation. 
Genuine  cultivation  strikes  deep  in  the  soil  and  takes 
hold  of  every  fibre  of  the  being.* 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  I35 

''  Mrs.  Mason,"  said  Elsie,  ''you  make  a  mistake  if 
you  think  I  have  any  longing  for  the  mere  name  of 
lady.  I  believe  I  could  be  your  cook  all  my  days  and 
yet  make  myself  worthy  of  the  character  and  appella- 
tion. It  is  not  what  one  does  so  much  as  in  the  man- 
ner of  doing  it  that  lies  the  distinction,  and  I  have  as 
natural  a  longing  for  all  things  noble  and  beautiful  as 
the  flowers  have  for  the  sun,  and  just  as  good  a  right 
to  reach  for  them." 

*'  Certainly,"  assented  Mrs.  Mason  ;  "  but  \vith  such 
surroundings  you  haven't  a  very  hopeful  chance  of 
obtaining  them.     Your  life  is  not  a  very  happy  one." 

"Yes,  it  is,"  replied  Elsie  stoutly,  "because  I  m^ke 
it  so.  I  wouldn't  change  places  with  the  richest  w^oman 
in  this  city,  if  by  so  doing  I  had  to  lose  the  dear  hopes 
and  sympathies  for  every  day  living  that  make  even 
our  misfortunes  bearable.  O  Mrs.  Mason,  before  the 
fire  and  Margaret's  sickness,  nothing  could  have  ex- 
ceeded the  daily  delight  of  our  lives,  even  with  all 
their  hard  work  and  privation.  Something  to  believe 
in,  some  hope  for  humanity,  some  trifle  in  w^ord  or 
deed  for  each  other — why,  it  seemed  like  a  foretaste 
of  heaven.  And  now — well — "  she  went  on,  choking 
back  the  sobs,  "  it  is  a  delight  to  me  to  know  that 
my  earnings  have  placed  my  brother  Gilbert  in  the 
manual-training  school,  and  are  helping  Margaret, 
Lizzette,  and  Antoine  in  numerous  ways.  I  don't 
want  anything  in  this  world,  but  just  to  grow  into 
light  and  life  with  the  dear  ones  I  love  and  who  love 
me." 

Mrs.   Mason   did   an   unprecedented  thing  for  her. 


136  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

She  clasped  one  of  Elsie's  hands  in  her  own,  and  said 
with  a  litle  break  in  her  voice:  "  My  dear  child,  you 
must  promise  to  forget  my  severity,  and  take  me  at 
my  word  when  I  tell  you  to  use  the  piano  as  often  as 
you  find  the  coast  clear,  and  also  to  help  yourself  to 
what  books  you  like  in  the  library.  I  shall  never  speak 
a  harsh  word  to  you  again." 

"  Don't  say  that,"  exclaimed  Elsie  quickly.  *'  I  may 
need  a  good  many." 

"Well,  the  compact  stands  until  you  do  need  them." 

Two  hours  later,  having  seen  the  carriage  drive  from 
the  door,  and  supposing  the  house  empty  with  the  ex- 
ception of  James,  who  w^as  dozing  in  his  pantry  off  the 
dining-room,  Elsie  came  softly  down  the  stairs  to  the 
front  drawing-room.  She  had  taken  off  cap,  kerchief, 
and  apron,  and  wore  only  a  dark  cloth  dress  wuth  a 
little  knot  of  bright  red  silk  at  the  throat.  With 
childish  curiosity  she  investigated  everything  in  the 
handsome  room,  pausing  longest  before  a  Carrara 
marble  statuette  of  Cupid  and  Psyche  and  talking 
aloud  with  all  the  abandon  of  a  child. 

''  So  that  face  of  Psyche's  was  the  best  the  sculptor 
could  do  to  represent  the  soul.  I  should  call  it  rather 
the  absence  of  soul;  but  then  I'm  a  Philistine,  and 
lack  culture;  and  as  for  Cupid,  if  the  blind  god  is  no 
fairer  than  he  is  painted  —  I  should  say  carved — he 
wouldn't  stand  much  chance  of  awaking  immortality  in 
me.  I  don't  believe  I've  got  a  bit  of  poetry  in  me,  any- 
how; I'm  so  inclined  to  laugh  at  sentim.ent,  or  senti- 
mentality— it  all  amounts  to  the  same  thing.  In  either 
event,  I  suppose  it  shows  that  '  Elsie  the  cook '  is  made 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  137 

of  coarser  clay  than  those  who  find  beauty  in  unmean- 
ing faces.  But  I  forget.  '  Elsie  the  cook  '  has  gone 
away,  and  Elsie  the  lady  has  come  to  stay." 

A  low  ripple  of  laughter  broke  from  her  lips  over 
the  unintentional  couplet.  '' A  poet,  after  all !  I  guess, 
as  they  say  below  stairs,  I'll  throw  up  my  job  and  get 
a  quill  and  ink-stand." 

At  this  juncture,  a  gentleman  who  had  been  stretched 
at  full  length  upon  a  couch  within  a  curtained  alcove 
at  the  further  end  of  the  library,  closed  the  book  he 
had  been  reading,  and  shoving  the  curtain  aside  for  an 
inch  or  two,  gazed  into  the  drawing-room  through  the 
half-open  door.  It  chanced  that  the  wide  pier-glass 
was  so  situated  that  nearly  the  whole  interior  of  the 
drawing-room  was  visible  to  the  occupant  of  the  alcove, 
and  a  half-smile  gleamed  beneath  the  curled  blonde 
mustache  as  he  listened  to  Elsie's  amusing  comments. 

"  Elsie  the  lady  has  come  to  stay,"  she  repeated, 
"  and  now  ril'see  if  I  can  play  it  as  well  as  madam 
herself.  I  wonder  if  I  look  like  one,"  and  half-dancing 
up  to  the  glass,  Elsie  stood  for  a  moment  looking  criti- 
cally at  herself.  "  No,  I  won't  do.  My  hair  ought  to 
be  so,"  and  she  gathered  it  up  on  the  top  of  her  head, 
from  which  the  riotous  ends  speedily  escaped  in  a 
curling  mass.  "There!  that's  better;  looks  quite 
fashionable;  gown  is  very  plain,  but  then  we'll  sup- 
pose I  go  in  for  asceticism.  No  rings,  but  no  pot  black 
on  my  hands.  Nails  well  manicured  and  tolerably 
aristocratic-looking.  That  is,  there's  quite  a  taper  to 
the  fingers,  which  I  suppose  puts  the  proper  stamp  on. 
Now  that  my  lady  has  come  to  her  own,  let's  see  how 


138  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

she  receives  her  guests.  We'll  try  her  cook  first,  so  as 
to  get  the  proper  air  of  dignified  severity.  No,  I'll 
not  do  it,"  she  said  thoughtfully,  as  she  stood  for  a  mo- 
ment with  downcast  eyes.  "  She  was  kind  to  me  after 
all,  and  I'll  not  repay  it  with  mockery  even  to  myself. 
It  is  quite  evident  that  there  is  a  great  deal  due  to 
station  in  this  world,  and  Elsie  the  cook  must  cultivate 
a  little  appreciation.  Come,  my  Lord  Snubbem,  and 
teach  me  to  be  a  Brahmin." 

With  a  mock  courtesy  Elsie  stood  before  a  great 
sleepy  hollow  chair  of  blue  velvet  and  went  on  with 
her  soliloquy: 

"  You  will  no  doubt  understand,  my  lord,  that  this 
is  my  first  appearance  in  society,  and  lacking  the  savoir 
faire  of  long  acquaintance,  I  shall,  I  presume,  shock 
you  with  some  of  my  '  wild  woolly  western '  ideas. 
Nevertheless,  having  seen  that  my  brother,  Mr.  High- 
and-Mighty,  just  returned  from  '  the  continent ' — that 
is  the  way  even  Americans  put  it,  as  if  there  were  but 
one  continent — is  paying  his  proper  devoirs  to  Miss 
Bullion,  and  will  probably  fall  in  love  with  her,  or 
rather  with  her  money,  which,  entre  nous,  is  all  '  we  ' 
ask  nowadays,  I  suppose  I'll  have  to  permit  you,  my 
Lord  Snubbem,  after  a  great  deal  of  coaxing,  to  induce 
me  to  play  for  you.  Of  course  you  know  all  the  time 
I'm  dying  to  show  off;  at  least  that's  the  way  they 
say  it  is  in  society,  and  so  you  offer  me  your  arm  and 
lead  me  to  the  piano,  and  I  prepare  to  display  my 
diamond  rings — dear  me,  it's  too  bad  I  haven't  any  ! 
. — and  my  precious  little  knowledge  of  music.  Let  me 
see,   how  shall   I   begin  ?     With   a  grand   flourish,  of 


A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY.  1 39 

course;  now  for  that  Hungarian  battle  song  !"  And 
almost  forgetful  of  the  character  she  was  supposed  to 
represent,  Elsie  struck  the  heavy  chords  of  the  over- 
ture, and  became  at  once  absorbed  in  the  melody  she 
was  evoking.  *' Ah,  that  is  grand,"  she  sighed  tremu- 
lously. "  There  is  power,  adaptability,  volume  in  a 
piano  that  you  can't  find  in  a  cottage  organ  if  you 
smother  your  soul  in  it.  Now  good-by.  Lord  Snub- 
bem.  Elsie  the  cook  and  Antoine  the  cripple  have 
come  back  and  are  going  to  forget  all  about  you." 

Presently,  after  a  few  drum-beats  of  the  piano,  arose 
the  shrill,  sweet  notes  of  a  trumpet-call.  Again  it 
came,  louder,  sweeter  than  ever,  then  the  answering 
tones  of  the  piano,  until  trumpet-call  and  drum-beat 
were  blended  in  one  brilliant  clash  of  melody.  Then 
the  piano  ceased  and  Elsie's  whistle  took  up  the  plain- 
tive solo  of  the  violin,  which  is  supposed  to  represent 
the  pathetic  heroism  of  the  Hungarian  mother  in  send- 
ing her  loved  ones  to  battle.  Softly,  yet  clearly,  and 
with  such  underlying  feeling  rang  the  bird  notes 
through  the  room  that  the  listener  felt  tears  gathering 
beneath  his  eyelids.  Scarcely  had  the  sweet  notes 
ended  when  louder  and  faster  came  the  crash  of  battle, 
to  be  followed  by  the  low  dirge  and  moaning,  cries 
rendered  by  the  resonant  whistle.  "  Oh,  dear,"  sighed 
Elsie,  "  if  Antoine  had  only  been  here,  it  might  have 
been  worth  while.  What  a  grand  thing  the  piano  is ! 
Poverty  wouldn't  be  so  bad  if  it  did  not  exclude  so 
much  of  the  heaven  of  music  and  art,  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 
Now,  Elsie  the  cook,  stop  that  vain  longing  !  Maybe 
you'll   earn   a   piano   yet   with  your    immense   riches. 


140  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

Just  one  more  try,  and  Elsie  the  cook  must  go  into 
the  lower  regions  again ;  but  it's  been  glorious  to  know 
what  such  a  life  might  mean.  Come,  old  comforter, 
and  compose  my  soul,"  and  she  struck  the  accompani- 
ment to  the  old,  old  song,  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my  Soul." 
The  fresh  young  voice,  gaining  confidence  as  the  feel- 
ing pervading  the  melody  swept  over  her,  seemed  to 
fill  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  room  and  rise  up- 
ward and  outward  until  it  v/as  lost  on  the  shining 
pathway  to  the  stars.  It  was  dusk  when  Elsie  closed 
the  piano,  and  with  a  sudden  fervor  she  bent  down 
and  kissed  it.  ''The  only  friend  I  have  in  the  house," 
she  sighed  aloud.  A  moment  later  she  passed  out 
into  the  hall  humming  softly  to  herself: 

"  Hide  me!     Oh,  my  Saviour,  hide, 
Till  the  storm  of  life  be  passed!  " 

When  the  last  notes  had  died  away  in  the  distance 
Herbert  Lynn  sprang  from  his  couch,  and  striking  a 
match,  looked  at  his  watch. 

"  Six  o'clock  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Helen  will  be  furious 
because  Eve  not  kept  my  engagement;  but  I  wouldn't 
have  missed  that  scene  for  all  the  dinners  in  Chris- 
tendom. Heavens !  what  a  nature  there  is  in  that  little 
girl!" 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  I4I 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Margaret  sat  reading  a  letter  from  Dr.  Ely.  The 
faint  blood  of  returning  health  was  deepening  in  her 
cheeks,  and  the  glad  light  of  her  eyes  intensified  by 
emotions  which  the  letter  evidently  called  forth.  With 
the  freedom  of  the  invisible  biographer  we  will  glance 
over  her  shoulder  as  she  reads : 

''  I  have  carried  for  months  the  picture  of  the  cosey 
sitting-room  at  Idlewild  set  like  a  gem  in  the  silver 
circle  of  memory.  It  is  hard,  very  hard,  now  to  feel 
that  it  must  be  only  a  memory;  that  I  shall  never  see 
it  again,  and  never  be  able  to  picture  the  little  feasts 
of  reason  which  your  letters  have  so  charmingly  de- 
scribed. Still,  home  is  where  the  heart  is,  and  I  re- 
gard this  misfortune  as  only  a  temporary  interruption 
of  your  plans.  I  know  so  well  the  motive  springs  of 
action  in  your  nature,  that  I  feel  sure  as  soon  as  your 
strength  comes  back  on  perhaps  a  firmer  basis,  the  old 
progress  will  be  re-established. 

"  I  heartily  indorse  your  move  in  placing  Gilbert  in 
the  manual-training  school,  and  inclose  a  draft  for 
one  hundred  dollars  to  advance  your  efforts.  You 
need  have  no  hesitancy  in  accepting  it,  as  I  find  the 
books  are  regarded  by  bibliophilists  generally  as  pos- 
sessing all  the  value  I  placed  upon  them. 


142  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"As  regards  Elsie's  experiment  in  going  as  a  cook, 
there  is  much  to  be  said  for  and  against.  She  will  be 
subjected  in  such  a  position  to  much  that  will  tax  her 
high  spirit;  but  if  she  is  equal  to  it  she  will  be  the 
gainer  in  conscious  strength  and  purpose.  As  a  finan- 
cial move,  even  at  the  average  wages,  it  is  undoubtedly 
the  best  thing  that  could  be  done;  for  even  had  the 
w^ay  been  opened,  there  is  no  such  money  in  teaching 
school  or  standing  behind  the  counter.  It  is  also  a 
safer  life  for  a  girl  of  her  beauty,  because  the  seclusion 
of  the  kitchen  has  no  such  temptations  as  beset  the 
workers  in  public  shops  and  factories.  The  question 
of  caste  has  evidently  not  entered  into  her  calcula- 
tions, because  she  looks  upon  life  as  it  is  developed 
from  the  standpoint  of  moral  worth,  and  she  is  a 
charming  example  of  the  revival  of  primitive  ideas. 
I  shall  watch  the  outcome  of  the  experiment  with  a 
good  deal  of  interest,  not  alone  because  I  admire  the 
fair  experimenter,  but  because  I  also  look  upon  the 
move  as  an  incipient  factor  in  social  progress.  The 
housekeeping  and  homekeeping  questions  lie  at  the 
roots  of  all  philosophy ;  for  man  is  by  no  means  a 
sublimated  mortal  who  can  exist  and  theorize  with  no 
provision  for  his  material  needs.  Still,  if  I  could  have 
had  my  way,  I  should  have  preferred  that  Elsie  de- 
velop her  character  and  fitness  for  the  world's  work 
under  less  trying  circumstances.  It  does  not  seem 
fitting  to  me  that  women  should  bear  the  brunt  of 
bread-winning;  there  is  other  and  better  work  for 
them  to  do. 

"  As  for  my  school  and  myself,  I  think  we  are  both 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  I43 

growing  in  strength.  I  should  indeed  be  faint-hearted 
if  I  did  not  feel  nerved  for  the  battle  when  I  remem- 
ber the  fearful  odds  against  which  you  and  Elsie  have 
set  yourselves.  I  do  not  prophesy  much  in  the  way 
of  harvest  for  you,  for  I  know  the  world  better  than 
you  do.  Yet  I  know  that  with  you  a  slender  sheaf  of 
the  gleanings  will  be  as  so  much  saved  for  the  All 
Father's  granary,  and  I  can  only  bid  you  God-speed 
in  all  you  do.  I  know  those  who  come  within  the 
radius  of  your  presence  are  lifted,  albeit  unconsciously, 
in  aspiration,  and  I  have  no  wonder  at  all  at  Eph's 
devotion.  I  look  upon  it  as  a  natural  result  of  natural 
conditions,  and  I  predict  that  in  your  home  in  the  city 
you  will  find  the  question  of  how  to  find  room  for  all 
the  demands  upon  your  sympathies  and  interests  a 
much  more  serious  one  than  it  is  now.  I  shall  hope 
to  have  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past,  a  full  account  of 
the  progress  made  by  all  of  you,  and  trust  that  in  try- 
ing to  fulfil  the  purposes  that  actuate  you,  you  will 
not  forget  what  is  due  your  health. 

'^  Sincerely  your  friend, 

"Charles  J.  Ely." 

Margaret  read  the  letter  very  slowly,  evidently  find- 
ing much  food  for  thought  in  the  lines.  That  it  was 
happy  thought  the  demure  smiles  that  almost  brought 
dimples  in  her  cheeks  testified. 

"  It  wouldn't  be  difficult  to  turn  back  now,"  she 
mused,  "  but  it  would  be  cowardly.  It  will  be  easier 
too  to  go  ahead,  knowing  as  I  do  that  all  my  efforts 
are  watched  by  sympathetic  eyes.     The  determina- 


144  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

tion  to  Stand  by  Elsie  and  Gilbert,  until  character  shall 
have  been  formed  and  purposes  achieved,  grows  heroic 
as  I  progress ;  for  in  it  I  already  discern,  thanks  to 
Dr.  Ely's  eyes,  a  lever  for  the  good  of  others  besides 
ourselves.  Duty  has  always  seemed  so  simple  and 
necessary  a  thing  to  me,  that  I  don't  believe  I  have 
properly  appreciated  Elsie's  heroism.  Poor  little  girl  1 
I  wonder  how  she  bears  the  brunt  of  the  battle,  and  if 
that  tempestuous  heart  of  hers  is  in  daily  rebellion. 
Antoine!"  she  exclaimed  aloud,  ''we  are  glad  this  is 
Sunday  and  that  Elsie  is  coming  home  to-day,  aren't 
we  ?  " 

"  So  glad  that  I  can't  half  read,"  said  the  boy,  tossing 
aside  his  book  and  looking  up  with  a  smile. 

"  It  seems  to  me,  Antoine,  the  violin  has  leaned  more 
to  elegies  and  dirges  than  formerly.  That  won't  do, 
for  I  notice  you  are  not  looking  as  well  as  you  were, 
and  I  fancy  you  are  missing  Elsie  too  much.  I'll  tell 
you  what  we're  going  to  do.  Next  week  I  shall  look 
up  rooms  in  the  city,  near  Elsie,  and  we  will  have  her 
home  every  night,  and  you — now  don't  look  so  dis- 
consolate— you  shall  remain  with  us  and  take  lessons 
at  the  conservatory.  I've  arranged  it  all  with  ma 
mere,  and  I  shall  see  almost,  if  not  quite,  as  much  of 
you  as  I  do  now." 

Antoine  did  not  answer  until  he  had  choked  back 
one  or  two  obtrusive  sobs.    "  And  ma  mere  ?  "  he  asked. 

''She  will  be  back  and  forth  every  day,  with  two 
homes  instead  of  one." 

"  And  am  I  really  to  have  lessons  ?  " 

"  Really  and  truly,"  answered  l^.Iargaret. 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  I45 

"  I  don't  know  how  to  be  thankful  enough,"  said  the 
lad.     "  But  who  pays  for  them  ?  " 

"  Never  mind  asking  questions,"  said  Margaret, 
smiling.     ''  It  is  your  business  to  accept  propositions." 

"  I  know — it  is  Elsie !  "  he  exclaimed  gleefully.  "  She 
said  she  should  dispense  charity  like  a  millionaire." 

Margaret  laughed  as  she  replied :  ''I  don't  think 
Elsie's  princely  income,  as  she  calls  it,  will  be  equal  to 
all  the  schemes  she  has  in  her  bright  head  ;  but  I  know 
I  am  very  glad  of  the  prospect  of  having  her  with  us 
once  again.     It's  a  dull  house  without  her." 

"  And  shall  we  have  the  old  *  evenings  '  over  again  ?  " 

"  Indeed  we  shall,  please  God.  We'll  take  up  the 
thread  where  it  snapped  on  that  awful  night  of  the 
fire,  only  a  little  wiser  and  tenderer  perhaps  in  our 
judgments." 

"  How  would  it  be  possible  for  you  to  be  any  ten- 
derer than  you  always  have  been  ?  "  asked  Antoine. 

"  Because  experience  widens  and  deepens  our  na- 
tures, and 

"  '  Hearts,  like  apples,  are  hard  and  sour, 
Till  crushed  by  pain's  resistless  power.'  " 

"  God  mellowed  yours,  then,  in  long-gone  ages,  for 
nobody  ever  found  a  hard  spot  in  your  heart." 

"A  royal  flatterer! ''  exclaimed  Margaret  gayly.  "  I 
shall  have  to  kiss  you  for  that,"  and  Margaret  sank  on 
her  knees  beside  the  wheel  chair  and  printed  a  re- 
sounding smack  upon  the  lad's  pale  cheek. 

"  I'm  jealous  !  "  cried  a  gay  voice  at  the  door,  and 

the  next  instant   Elsie  was  on  the  other  side  of  the 

chair  and  Antoine's  arms  were  around  her  neck, 
10 


146  A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY. 

''  Home  again  !  Home  again  !  "  he  cried  with  a  little 
break  in  his  voice. 

"  For  just  about  six  hours,  so  tongues  must  fly  at  a 
mile  a  minute.  I  have  heaps  and  heaps  to  tell,"  and 
breathless  Elsie  sank  into  a  chair  and  said  nothing. 

"  Why  don't  you  tell  it  ?  "  asked  Antoine. 

"  It  dwindles  so  when  I  stop  to  think  of  it.  I  guess 
it  is  all  summed  up  in  the  statement  that  '  Elsie  the 
cook  *  is  very  well  satisfied  with  her  place,  and  a  good 
deal  prouder  of  her  two-weeks'  wages  than  if  some- 
body had  earned  the  money  for  her.  Just  see!  "  and 
emptying  the  contents  of  her  purse  in  Margaret's  lap, 
she  went  on:  ^' Now,  I've  come  home  for  some  music 
and  to  hear  the  rest  of  you  talk.  Where's  the  fiddle, 
Antoine  ?  Let's  wake  the  echoes  and  forget  the  fry- 
ing-pan." 

"  O  Elsie,  life  has  come  back  with  you,"  exclaimed 
Antoine  fervently  as  he  tuned  his  fiddle. 

''  To  stay,  I  hope  ;  for  I  don't  want  to  be  guilty  of 
taking  life  when  I  go  again." 

An  hour  later  everything  had  been  forgotten  in  the 
rendering  of  the  old  hymns  and  psalms  with  which 
it  had  been  their  wont  to  delight  themselves  on  Sun- 
day afternoons.  Margaret  and  Gilbert  were  joining  in 
the  chorus,  and  Lizzette  was  softly  humming  to  herself 
in  her  work  about  the  kitchen,  when  there  came  a 
gentle  rap  at  the  outer  door.  Lizzette  opened  it  and 
with  difficulty  repressed  an  exclamation  at  sight  of 
Herbert  Lynn  on  the  threshold.  With  a  warning  ges- 
ture he  put  his  fingers  to  his  lips  and  said  in  a  low 
voice:  "I  did   not  want  to  interrupt   the   music   or  I 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  I47 

should  have  rapped  at  the  front  door.  Who  is  it  plays 
and  sings  so  charmingly  ?  " 

''  Antoine  and  Elsie,"  said  Lizzette  proudly. 

''  Elsie  ?  I  did  not  know  she  was  here.  I  had  a 
little  leisure  and  concluded  I  couldn't  better  employ 
it  than  in  coming  to  see  my  old  Lizzette." 

"  Vous  avez  ze  welcome,  just  as  in  ze  old  days.  Let 
me  get  ze  leetle  rocker,  and  you  sail  sit  by  me  and 
talk,"  and  Lizzette  made  a  move  to  enter  the  little 
sitting-room.  Herbert's  hand  was  on  her  arm  in  an 
instant. 

"  No,  no,"  he  said  in  a  whisper.  "  Let  me  sit  here 
and  listen.     It  will  disturb  them  to  know  I  am  here." 

Softly  and  sweetly  from  the  other  room  came  the 
strain,  ''  'Tis  midnight,  and  on  Olive's  brow,"  and 
Herbert  Lynn  reverently  dropped  his  head  in  his  hands 
and  listened.  If  there  was  to  his  critical  ear  a  lack  of 
technical  skill,  there  was  no  lack  of  sympathy  or  feel- 
ing in  every  touch  and  tone.  Neither  was  there  lack 
of  genius,  although  it  was  easily  discernible  that  it 
was  an  untrained  genius. 

''What  power  Antoine  gets  out  of  the  violin,"  he 
whispered  to  Lizzette,  who  nodded  and  smiled  in  proud 
acknowledgment  of  his  appreciation. 

"  II  a "  she  began,  but  the  music  had  ceased  and 

there  was  a  rustle  of  turning  leaves  as  Margaret  took 
up  the  Bible. 

"  On  second  thought,"  she  said,  "  I  will  ask  for  a 
subject.  What  shall  it  be,  Elsie  ?  You  have  been  out 
in  the  world — what  need  has  seemed  greatest  to  you  ?  " 

"The    strength    to    bear,"  answered    Elsie   soberly. 


143  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"  It  seemed  easy  to  be  patient  and  properly  humble 
in  this  home  of  love  and  appreciation,  but  in  this  other 
world  of  place-hunting  and  time-serving  the  quick  re- 
tort quite  too  often  besieges  my  lips.  You  know, 
Margaret,  it  is  only  the  old  enemy,  and  as  the  horizon 
widens  and  I  see  what  life  might  mean  to  me  if  fortune 
had  been  kinder,  and  I  realize  that  I  have  a  nature 
capable  of  profiting  by  the  beautiful  things  of  the 
world,  I  grow  rebellious  and  dissatisfied.  I  try  every 
now  and  then  to  imagine  I  am  perfectly  contented ; 
but  all  the  time  I  know  I  am  deceiving  myself.  Help 
me,  Margaret  dear,  with  all  your  sublime  patience  and 
courage,  to  bear  it,  and  not  yearn  after  the  vain  things 
of  the  world." 

There  was  a  sound  of  tears  in  Tvlargaret's  voice  as 
she  answered :  "  Strength  must  come  from  within, 
Elsie.  'They  that  dwell  in  His  house  '  know  where 
the  well  of  strength  is,  and  '  the  pools  are  filled  with 
water.'  As  for  the  vain  things  of  this  world  for  which 
you  sigh,  the  sin  of  it  depends  upon  what  those  things 
are.  I  think  I  know  your  heart  well  enough  to  believe 
they  are  not  selfish  follies,  but  only  healthy  aspira- 
tions for  broader  fields  of  culture.  I  don't  believe  in 
repraesing  such  aspirations.  They  are  as  natural  to 
natures  like  yours  as  sunshine  to  flowers.  Aside  from 
my  unchanging  faith  in  the  beneficence  of  God,  I  have 
always  found  the  thought  that  the  duty  of  to-day  may 
be  the  pleasure  of  to-morrow  my  greatest  source  of 
comfort.  Let  us  work  faithfully,  cheerfully  to-day; 
the  way  may  be  a  little  rough,  but  after  all  we  shall 
find  many  things  to  gladden  it.    A  note  from  Antoine's 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 49 

fiddle,  a  bit  of  Elsie's  nonsense,  have  often  made  me 
smile  in  the  midst  of  the  moodiest  repinings.  Our 
work  now,  Elsie,  is  like  the  hard  digging  around  the 
roots  of  a  rose-bush;  by  and  by  we  shall  look  up  and 
see  its  crown  of  beauty  and  fragrance,  and  the  roses 
will  be  all  the  sweeter  because  our  hands  have  sent  the 
thrill  along  their  stems  that  roused  them  to  life.  I 
haven't  the  least  fear  for  my  little  girl  when  we  re- 
establish the  old  home  life.  Discontent  will  be  left  at 
the  door,  and  aspiration  will  find  wings  in  Antoine's 
fiddle  and  at  the  ends  of  her  deft  fingers." 

"The  first  day  I  ever  saw  you,"  said  Antoine  to 
Elsie,  "you  said  your  ambition  lay  all  in  learning  to 
cook  like  ma  mere.  What  is  the  matter  with  it  that 
it  does  not  satisfy  you  ?  Is  the  grand  art  of  ma  mere 
no  art  after  all  ?  " 

"Don't  ask  such  heretical  questions,  Antoine!  Just 
ask  ma  m^re  if  I  don't  put  heaps  of  enthusiasm  in  my 
work,  and  mxake  perfect  poems  in  pastry  and  sonnets 
in  salads,  whose  proof  is  in  the  eating!  But  one  may 
have  a  thousand  ambitions  in  the  course  of  a  lifetime, 
and  to  confess  the  honest  truth — Margaret,  hide  your 
face! — I've  just  now  an  absorbing  ambition  to  have  a 
new  gown  in  the  very  latest  style,  with  velvet  all -■  over 
it  and  some  genuine  lace  at  the  throat,  and  all  those 
refined  ladylike  things  that  make  you  feel  so — so  satis- 
fied with  yourself !  See,  I  bow  my  head  and  meekly 
await  the  avalanche  of  reproaches  from  this  virtuous 
and  austere  household  !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Gilbert  from  his  corner,  "  I  haven't  any 
for  you ;    for  the  threadbare  appearance  of  my  knees 


I50  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

has  filled  me  with  a  similar  ambition.  The  fellows  at 
the  training  school  are  mostly  sons  of  well-to-do  men, 
and  they  eye  me  in  a  way  that  doesn't  make  me  feel 
so — so  satisfied  with  myself." 

In  an  instant  Elsie  jumped  from  her  chair,  and 
patronizingly  patting  Gilbert's  head  exclaimed :  "  My 
dear  brother,  how  glad  I  am  to  know  I'm  not  the  only 
black  sheep  of  the  family!  Meg,  you  see  what  comes 
of  letting  the  lambs  out  in  the  world's  pastures!  " 

Just  then  Elsie,  glancing  out  into  the  kitchen,  caught 
sight  of  the  amused  faces  of  Lizzette  and  Herbert 
Lynn,  and  consternation,  fright,  and  astonishment  so 
overcame  her  that  she  could  only  stand  still  and 
scream. 

This  at  once  brought  Lizzette  and  Herbert  to  the 
door.  '^  Margaret,"  exclaimed  Lizzette,  "  zis  ees  my 
old  friend,  mon  gar^on  Herbeart  Lynn,  who  coming  to 
see  his  old  Lizzette  haf  ze  desire  also  to  know  her 
friends.     He  haf  zair  welcome,  I  believe  ?  " 

Lizzette  looked  appealingly  from  the  white  scorn 
of  Elsie's  face  to  the  surprise  of  Margaret's;  but  before 
either  had  time  to  speak  Herbert  said  eagerly  and  with 
flushing  cheek  as  he  glanced  at  Elsie  :  "  I  can  explain 
my  presence  here  as  an  involuntary  listener  in  this 
way.  Lizzette,  as  you  probably  know,  has  been  more 
than  half-mother  to  me.  Taking  advantage  of  a  day 
when  I  felt  sure  of  finding  her  at  home,  I  came  out  for 
a  little  visit.  As  I  neared  the  door  I  heard  such  charm- 
ing music  I  hesitated  to  interrupt  it,  and  so  I  crept 
like  a  culprit  to  the  back  door  and  listened — very  repre- 
hensibly,  I  know — to  a  discussion  which  was  so  full  of 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  151 

Strength  and  interest  to  me  I  had  not  the  courage  to 
interrupt  it.  Lizzette,  can  you  not  help  me  to  be  for- 
given ?  " 

"  Helas,"  said  Lizzette.  ''  I  am  ze  grand  culprit.  I 
take  ze  pride  in  vat  you  list." 

"Lizzette's  friends  are  of  course  welcome  to  us, 
since  we  are  trespassers  upon  her  kindness,"  said 
Margaret  brightly.  ''And  as  we  have  no  state  secrets, 
I  think  we  can  forgive  an  unintentional  listening.  This 
is  my  sister,  Elsie  Murchison,  whom  perhaps  you  know 
serves  your  sister,  Mrs.  Mason,  as  cook." 

Margaret's  countenance  hardened  a  trifle  as  she 
looked  at  the  young  man's  handsome  face  and  again 
at  Elsie's,  coldly  repellant,  and  she  laid  a  stress  upon 
the  last  word  that  brought  an  involuntary  smile  to 
Elsie's  lips.  The  nod  which  she  bestow^ed  upon  Her- 
bert was,  however,  so  ostentatiously  distant  that  the 
pleasant  augury  of  the  smile  was  speedily  dispelled. 

''An'  zis  ees  my  good  lad  Gilbeart  Murchison,  et  zis 
mon  gargon  Antoine,"  said  Lizzette  hastily,  in  an  en- 
deavor to  smooth  over  the  aw^kv/ardness  of  the  situa- 
tion. 

Herbert  turned  quickly  to  the  boys,  and  taking  the 
proffered  seat  eagerly  clasped  Antoine's  hand  in  his 
own.  "  You've  changed  a  good  deal,  my  boy,  since  I 
saw  you,  and  you  are  growing  to  be  quite  a  musician. 
Your  genius  must  be  cultivated." 

"It  is  going  to  be,"  answered  Antoine,  "thanks  to 
my  Elsie." 

Herbert  glanced  up  as  Antoine  spoke,  in  time  to 
see  Elsie  slip  into  the  kitchen. 


152  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"  Eet  ees  ze  dinner  hour,"  said  Lizzette,  looking  after 
her.  *'  I  sail  leave  you,  Herbeart,  in  ze  good  care  of 
Miss  Margaret  and  ze  boys." 

"  I  shall  be  well  cared  for,  no  doubt.  1  always  have 
been  in  your  house." 

''  You  have  but  recently  returned  from  Europe,  I 
understand,"  said  Margaret  as  Lizzette  left  the  room. 
"  Were  you  there  long  ?  " 

"Some  three  years,"  replied  Herbert. 

"  Long  enough,  then,  to  become  somewhat  imbued 
with  old-world  ideas  and  customs." 

"  To  the  extent  of  finding  democratic  America  the 
most  delightful  place  on  earth  to  live." 

The  air  of  constraint,  so  foreign  to  Herbert's  usual 
suavity  of  address,  dropped  off  under  the  stimulant 
of  Margaret's  calm  eyes  and  interested  face,  and  he 
presently  found  himself  talking  and  laughing  with 
her  and  the  boys  with  the  freedom  of  long  ac- 
quaintance. Li  the  mean  time  Lizzette  had  been  bus- 
tling about  the  kitchen  on  hospitable  thoughts  intent, 
and  wondering  vaguely  where  Elsie  had  gone.  In 
honor  of  her  home-coming  she  had  sacrificed  a  couple 
of  plump  chickens  which  she  had  stuffed  with  truffles 
erown  in  the  darkness  of  her  cellar.  On  the  case  of 
v/ooden  shelves  which,  with  the  romanticism  of  her 
race,  she  loved  to  dignify  v/ith  the  name  of  "  beaufet," 
stood  a  glass  bowl  of  snow  cream  flanked  by  a  bas- 
ket piled  high  with  yellow  sponge-cakes. 

"Zere  ees  ze  pineapple  jelly,  ze  salade  de  cresson, 
ze  cold  sliced  ham,  ze  duchesse  potatoes,  et  ze  cream 
chocolate — ah,  well,  Lizzette's  table  ees  not  so  empty 
after  all." 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 53 

She  was  bending  over  the  oven  door,  watching  the 
browning  of  the  chickens  and  letting  a  flood  of  savory 
,steam  into  the  kitchen,  when  she  felt  a  warm  kiss  on 
her  cheek.  Glancing  up  in  surprise  she  saw  Elsie, 
cloaked  and  bonneted,  before  her.  ''  Fie,  fie,  Elsie," 
exclaimed  Lizzette.  "  Zis  vill  not  do.  You  no  leave 
before  ze  dinner." 

^'  I  must,"  said  Elsie,  putting  her  hands  on  Lizzette's 
shoulders  and  looking  into  her  face  with  her  eyes  full 
of  tears.  "  Don't  you  see  how  the  case  stands  ?  This 
'  petit  curieux  ' — there,  don't  be  angry,  I  can't  call  him 
anything  else — has  followed  me  here,  and  if  Mrs.  Mason 
hears  of  it  I  shall  lose  my  place.  Don't  you  see  I 
could  not  sit  at  the  table  with  him  and  defend  myself 
against  her  attacks  ?  " 

"  Oh-h !  "  It  was  a  very  long  and  expressive  "  oh"  on 
Lizzette's  part,  and  her  eyes  grew  round  with  wonder 
and  amusement  as  she  glanced  at  Elsie's  perturbed 
face.  "  I  nevair  vas  so  big  dunce  in  my  life.  Haf 
Herbeart  efer  speak  to  you  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Elsie,  crimsoning,  "  only — only  looked  at 
me!" 

Lizzette  burst  into  a  laugh  so  resounding  that  it 
penetrated  the  room  beyond;  but  Elsie's  distressed 
face  was  too  much  for  her  tender  sympathies.  ''  Ma 
petite  fille,"  she  exclaimed,  "  hov\^  stupid  ees  your  old 
Lizzette.  Eh  bien,  I  vill  explain.  Herbeart  know 
not  you  live  here;  he  tell  me  so,  and  I  nevair  know 
Herbeart  Lynn  to  lie.  So  you  see  eet  ees  not  ma  petite 
Elsie  zat  bring  him " 

"  Lizzette  !  Lizzette  !  "  cried  Elsie,  beside  herself  with 


154  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

mortification.  '*  I  did  not  mean  it  that  way!  I'm  not 
so  vain  as  you  think ;  but  to  tell  the  truth  he  has  always 
eyed  me  so,  when  I  went  to  confer  with  Mrs.  Mason, 
that  I  have  noticed  she  was  uneasy  and  cross  when 
he  was  in  the  room.  That  is  all  in  the  world  there  is 
in  it,  except  that  as  '  Elsie  the  cook  '  I  decline  to  sit 
at  table  with  his  high  mightiness.  Honestly,  I  do  not 
want  ever  to  speak  to  him." 

''  Herbeart  haf  ze  good  heart  zat  harm  nobody." 

"  That  may  be  true;  but  the  gulf  between  us  is  con- 
sidered too  wide  by  his  circle  ever  to  be  bridged  over 
by  the  commonplaces  of  even  the  simplest  associa- 
tion. You  know  I  am  right,  Lizzette,  and  no  false 
vanity  prompts  what  I  say.  I  do  want  to  keep  my 
place,  and  Mrs.  Mason  would  be  furious  if  she  knew 
I  broke  bread  at  the  same  table  with  her  brother." 

''Ah,  zat  Helen  !  Oui,  Elsie,  vous  avez  raison.  Zis 
ees  too  bad.  Mais  you  sail  not  go  hungry;  here  in  ze 
pantry  I  set  you  some  dinner." 

"  No,  Lizzette,  I  can't  eat,"  said  Elsie  disconsolately. 
"I'll  just  go  down  to  Aunt  Liza's  and  stay  till  the  six- 
o'clock  train.  Tell  Meg  how  the  case  stands.  I  know 
she'll  approve  my  view  of  it." 

"Helas,"said  Lizzette  sorrowfully.  "  Ze  dinner  vill 
be  spoiled  for  Margaret  and  ze  rest  of  us;  but  maybe 
zat  vill  be  ze  best  way  out  of  trouble." 

It  was  growing  dusk  when  Elsie  took  her  scat  in  the 
car  on  her  way  back  to  the  city.  She  was  tired,  faint, 
and  over-wrought.  A  disturbing  influence  had  set 
again  at  work  all  those  little  discontents  which  Mar- 
garet's calm  reasoning  had  well-nigh  dispelled,  and  she 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 55 

fairly  gasped  with  horror  when  she  saw  Herbert  Lynn 
enter  the  car  and  deliberately  take  the  vacant  seat  be- 
side her. 

'^Miss  Elsie,"  he  coolly  asked,  "will  you  be  kind 
enough  to  tell  me  why  I  am  an  object  of  such  aversion 
to  you  ?  " 

*'  I— I— don't  know  what  you  mean,"  she  stammered 

helplessly. 

''Aversion,  Miss  Elsie,  is  said  by  Webster  to  mean 
dislike,  disapproval,  detestation,  repugnance,  antipa- 
thy, abhorrence,  loathing,  etc.,  and  so  on.  I  trust  you 
understand  me  now,"  and  he  looked  down  on  the  flush- 
ing face  with  a  marked  little  smile  of  triumph. 

''  The  definitions  are  all  a  blank  to  me,  and  relate 
to  nothing  with  which  I  am  familiar." 

"  Let  me  enlighten  you,  then.  Do  you  think  I  am 
not  aware  that  I  drove  you  from  the  house  this  after- 
noon, and  Lizzette's  delicious  dinner?  I  am  truly 
sorry  that  my  mere  unexpected  presence  in  that  little 
house  should  have  been  productive  of  so  much  mis- 
chief. I  assure  you  I  am  not  half  as  bad  as  I  look, 
and  I  feel  as  penitent  as  a  small  boy  who  is  caught 
stealing  apples,  and  just  about  as  guilty." 

Elsie  sat  with  her  face  turned  toward  the  window 
and  made  no  reply.  Not  to  be  balked,  Herbert  went 
on : 

"  I  never  enjoyed — or  would  have  enjoyed  but  for 
the  unlucky  fact  of  your  displeasure— anything  so  much 
as  acquaintance  with  your  sister  and  the  atmosphere 
of  Lizzette's  little  home.  It  is  something  new  to  me, 
c  id  I  am  not  so  case-hardened  as  to  be  wholly  insensi- 


156  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

ble  to  it."  Still  Elsie  vouchsafed  no  word  as  he  paused 
in  evident  expectation. 

"  Well,  if  I  am  to  have  all  this  conversation  to  myself, 
I  shall  take  the  liberty  of  saying  just  what  I  think.  I 
think  a  certain  Miss  Elsie  Murchison  is  decidedly  un- 
reasonable, and  is  determined  that  the  culprit's  sentence 
shall  be  a  severer  one  than  he  deserves.  She  will  not 
even  permit  him  to  plead  his  cause.  Nevertheless,  as  he 
is  satisfied  of  its  justice  he  proposes  to  go  on.  The 
brother  of  Mrs.  Helen  Mason,  an  acknowledged  leader 
of  the  haut  ton,  is  neither  a  knave  nor  a  fool ;  at  least 
he  is  not  prepared  to  so  view  himself  just  yet,  and  be- 
cause his  well-beloved  sister  has  certain  views  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  creed  of  her  set,  it  does  not  follow 
that  he  must  blindly  indorse  all  those  views.  He  may 
have  sufficient  independence  to  recognize  worth  when 
he  sees  it,  regardless  of  its  environment." 

Still  no  response  from  stubborn  Elsie.  The  hot 
blood  mounted  to  Herbert's  brow.  Bending  forward 
so  that  he  might  get  a  good  view  of  her  face,  he  ex- 
claimed impetuously: 

"  Miss  Murchison,  if  this  is  really  a  matter  of  per- 
sonal dislike  I  have  nothing  further  to  say.  Until  I  am 
satisfied  that  it  is,  however,  I  feel  that  I  have  a  right  to 
understand  the  meaning  of  your  persistent  silence." 

Thus  brought  to  bay  Elsie  raised  her  eyes,  and 
Herbert  saw  that  they  were  full  of  unshed  tears. 

''  Mr.  Lynn,"  she  began  tremulously,  "  it  seems  al- 
most cruel  in  you  to  press  me  for  an  answer;  but  since 
you  force  it  you  shall  have  the  plain  truth.  There  is 
no  personal  feeling  at  all  in  the  matter.     I  neither  like 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  157 

nor  dislike  you,  and  simply  ask  to  be  let  alone.  I  am 
your  sister's  cook,  between  whom  and  Mr.  Lynn  there 
cannot  be  even  common  acquaintance." 

"  My  sister's  cook!  "  repeated  Herbert.  "  It  is  as  I 
suspected,  a  mere  matter  of  pride  on  your  part." 

"  No,"  said  Elsie  desperately.  "  It  is  a  matter  of 
bread  and  butter.  As  your  sister's  cook  I  am  earn- 
ing- g-ood  waees,  that  are  of  incalculable  value  to  those 
I  love  and  for  whom  I  work.  If  I  lose  my  place,  it 
means  deprivation  and  distress.  Can  you  not  see  my 
reason  and  be  generous  ?  " 

''Generous,  most  certainly;  but  not  for  any  reason 
you  advance.     I  am  not  under  my  sister's  dominion." 

''  But  I  am  ;  and  if  I  in  any  way  incur  her  displeasure, 
I  shall  suffer  for  it." 

''  Not  through  me,"  said  Herbert  stoutly.  "  I  shall 
take  good  care  of  that." 

"You  can  only  do  it  by  refusing  to  notice  me  any 
further;  a  favor  which  I  particularly  request." 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  before  flatly  refused  a 
lady's  request;  but  this  time  I  am  compelled  to  do 
so  by  circumstances  beyond  my  control." 

The  mischief  in  Herbert's  eyes  was  too  much  for 
Elsie's  volatile  nature,  and  she  greeted  his  audacious 
statement  with  a  ripple  of  laughter  which  she  bitterly 
regretted  a  second  later. 

*'  There  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  I  am  glad  the  statuesque 
repose  of  the  De  Veres  has  been  broken.  I  think  we 
shall  understand  each  other  soon." 

"  We  do  now,"  said  Elsie  hastily.  ''  I  cannot  speak 
any  plainer." 


158  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"  Well,  I  can ;  but  here  we  are,  and  while  w^e  walk 
the  rest  of  the  way  home  I'll  endeavor  to  be  explicit. 
Please  take  my  arm." 

There  was  no  help  for  it.  Eight  or  ten  blocks  inter- 
vened between  them  and  the  Mason  mansion ;  it  was 
dark  and  physical  fear  prevented  Elsie's  refusal  of  the 
proffered  escort. 

''  Now,"  said  Herbert  as  she  meekly  placed  her 
hand  on  his  arm,  "things  are  just  to  my  satisfac- 
tion. As  regards  your  place,  it  shall  be  yours  in- 
definitely so  far  as  I  am  concerned.  I  promise  not 
to  annoy  you  in  any  way — that  is,  whenever  I  think 
that  way  is  consistent  with  my  way.  I  admire  your 
sister  very  much,  and  she  has  already  accepted  my 
offer  of  comradeship,  which,  by  the  way,  shows  her  good 
sense.  As  for  her  rebellious  little  sister,  I  shall  be  just 
as  much  her  good  friend  as  if  she  were  forty  times  a 
queen  in  her  own  right,  which  she  undoubtedly  is.  She 
cannot  prevent  my  admiration  of  her  independence 
and  heroism  if  she  snubs  me  twenty  times  a  day,  as, 
judging  from  the  past,  I  presume  she  will.  That,  hovv^- 
ever,  will  be  the  least  of  my  distress,  so  I  succeed  in 
making  her  believe  I  am  not  a  wolf  in  sheep's  clothing. 
I  assure  you,  upon  the  honor  of  a  gentleman,  that  I 
shall  be  guilty  of  no  more  reprehensible  act  than  to 
claim  the  kindly  consideration  of  one  friend  for  an- 
other." 

Elsie  found  it  difficult  to  frame  a  reply.  Animosity 
was  fast  breaking  down  before  the  simple,  candid  words, 
and  in  its  place  had  come  a  not  wholly  definable  sense 
of  companionship  that  was  strangely  sweet. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 59 

*'  But  the  social  gulf "  she  began  feebly. 

"A  fig  for  it!  Are  you  not  of  that  heretical  sect 
which  believes  only  in  an  aristocracy  of  moral  worth 
and  cultivated  brains  ?  Are  }'ou  going  to  deny  me 
the  privilege  of  proving  my  claim  to  distinction  among 
you  ?  Your  sister  has  already  outlined  your  little 
evenings  to  me,  and  I  am  going " 

"To  do  what  ?"  asked  Elsie  quickly. 

"  Look  in  upon  you  occasionally,  that  is  all.  You 
fancied  I  was  going  to  apply  for  a  membership.  I  am 
afraid  if  I  should,  one  of  its  brightest  members  would 
stay  away.  But  we  are  almost  home,  and  you  haven't 
told  me  yet  that  you  have  forgiven  my  unintentional 
transgression  of  the  conventionalities  this  afternoon ; 
nor  have  you  promised  to  believe  in  my  integrity  and 
good-will." 

"  I  promise  on  one  condition,"  said  Elsie,  stopping 
suddenly.  "There  is  only  half  a  block  further;  let  me 
go  alone.  It  would  be  so  unfortunate  for  me  if — if 
any  one  saw  us  together." 

"  Certainly,  if  you  wish  it.  I  suppose  there  is  no 
law  to  prevent  my  walking  a  few  steps  behind  you." 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  any  law  anywhere  for  you. 
Good-night,"  and  with  Herbert's  laugh  ringing  in  her 
ears  Elsie  hastened  down  the  area  steps  and  swung 
open  the  kitchen  door 


l6o  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

"  Elsie,"  said  Mrs.  Mason  the  following  morning, 
"  I  am  going  to  give  a  reception  in  my  brother's  honor 
to-morrow  evening,  and  I  shall  put  the  dining-room 
and  kitchen  in  the  hands  of  the  caterer.  If  you  like 
you  may  assist  Mary  and  Martha  in  the  toilet-rooms 
during  the  evening." 

"  Very  well,"  answered  Elsie  soberly;  but  there  was 
a  light  in  her  eyes  which  made  Mrs.  Mason  say  inter- 
rogatively, "  You  are  pleased  at  the  change  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  am  !  I  shall  see  a  little  of  the  pageantry 
of  life,  and  I  love  to  look  at  beautiful  things,  fair  ladies, 
and  brave  men.  The  whole  thing  will  be  a  living  pic- 
ture, and  while  I  hand  a  pin  to  this  one,  or  a  fan  to 
that,  I  shall  be  stealing  something  that  will  be  neither 
coats  nor  diamonds." 

"  Something  less  tangible,  but  more  valuable,  per- 
haps." 

"  I  am  not  so  sure  of  its  value  as  I  am  of  its  pleasure." 

"  Pleasure  in  what  way  ?  " 

''  In  the  way  that  a  rose  is  just  as  beautiful  to  my 
eyes  as  to  those  of  a  princess ;  in  the  way  that  this  re- 
ception will  be  just  as  much  for  me  as  if  I  wore  satins 
instead  of  a  house-maid's  cap  and  apron." 

Elsie  had  been  for  the  nonce  aroused  from  her  usual 
reserve,  and  as  she  caught  the  coldly  critical  glance 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY  l6l 

which  Mrs.  Mason  bestowed  upon  her,  she  exclaimed 
eagerly:  '*  I  beg  your  pardon,  Mrs.  Mason.  I  did  not 
mean  to  inflict  my  small  enthusiasms  upon  you." 

"  I  was  only  thinking,"  replied  Mrs.  Mason,  "  that 
the  world  seems  to  open  a  vista  of  enjoyment  for  you 
which  many  apparently  more  fortunate  would  give 
half  their  years  to  possess.  What  is  the  secret  of  your 
happiness  ?  " 

*'  '  Secret  ?  '  I  have  none,  unless  it  is  that  I  am  still 
a  child,  in  heart  at  least,  and  accept  life  as  unques- 
tioningly," 

''  But  by  and  by  the  heart  of  the  child  will  have 
grown  old,  and  you  will  be  like  the  rest  of  us,  tired, 
disappointed,  doubting." 

There  was  a  note  of  sadness  in  Mrs.  Mason's  voice 
that  appealed  at  once  to  Elsie's  tender  sympathies. 
Involuntarily  she  reached  out  a  hand  as  if  to  lay  it 
upon  the  white  jewelled  one  of  her  mistress;  but  with 
a  sudden  start  of  recollection  she  drew  back  and  said 
simply:  "There  is  so  much  in  this  world  to  hope  for, 
so  much  that  may  be  had  even  by  the  poorest,  that 
disappointment  and  doubt  need  affect  one  only  as 
externals.  I  hope  I  may  never  grow  wise  if  wisdom 
brings  only  bitterness  of  spirit." 

Mrs.  Mason  made  no  reply;  she  was  watching  the 
fine  mobile  face  before  her,  with  its  blending  of  pride 
and  guilelessness.  "The  girl  gains  on  one  so,"  she 
mused,  "that  I  could  almost  make  her  friend  instead 
of  servant,  if  it  were  not  for " 

At  this  juncture  Elsie,  uneasy  under  the  prolonged 

scrutiny  of  the  gray  eyes,  asked    hesitatingly:     "Do 
II 


l62  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY 

you  wish  anything  further,  Mrs.  Mason  ?  May  I  go 
now  r 

''You  might  have  gone  some  time  since,"  was  the 
calm  reply,  given  with  all  the  iciness  of  manner  she 
knew  so  well  how  to  apply  to  the  impulsive  girl. 

Elsie's  face  flushed  painfully  as  she  left  the  room. 
Mrs.  Mason  smiled  grimly  as  she  saw  it.  "  I  treat  that 
girl  horribly  sometimes ;  but  it  is  the  only  way  I  can 
preserve  the  proprieties." 

The  next  evening,  when  everything  had  been  put  to 
rights  in  the  kitchen,  Elsie  and  Jenie,  the  little  maid 
of  the  scullery,  climbed  the  back  stairs  with  many  a 
ripple  of  laughter.  They  were  deeply  engaged  in  the 
all-important  subject  of  dress,  and  were  as  keen  in 
their  enjoyment  of  the  good  points  of  attire  as  many 
a  society  belle  who  would  grace  the  Mason  parlors. 

"  Oh,  but  you  are  just  lovely,"  exclaimed  enraptured 
Jenie  as  Elsie  invested  herself  in  a  cheap  lawn  of  rose 
pink,  and  fastened  a  coquettish  lace  cap  above  her  curls 
in  place  of  the  frilled  muslin  of  everyday.  The  dress 
was  as  straight  and  plain  as  that  of  a  Puritan  maid ; 
but  the  soft  lace  of  a  Martha  Washington  fichu  and 
a  jaunty  lace-trim.med  apron  with  pink  bows  on  the 
pockets,  created  a  costume  that  only  needed  the  dark 
eyes  and  tinted  cheeks  of  the  wearer  to  complete  it. 

"  I  lack  one  thing,"  said  Elsie,  critically  surveying 
herself  in  the  glass.  ''  I  wish  I  had  one  of  those  Bon- 
silene  roses  that  the  florist  has  massed  in  the  parlors. 
I'm  going  to  ask  Mrs.  Mason  for  one." 

"  I  wouldn't,"  said  Jenie.  "  I'd  just  take  one.  It 
would  never  be  missed." 


A    NEW   yVRISTOCRACY.  163 

''  Jenie,"  laughed  Elsie  a3  she  placed  a  hand  under 
the  little  maid's  chin,  "  I  should  miss  it,  and  that 
would  be  the  worst  miss  of  all.  I  like  to  keep  my 
fingers  clean,  you  know." 

"  Well,  it  ain't  like  takin'  clothes  and  such  like." 

"  Not  exactly ;  but  all  the  same  it  ts  taking  what 
doesn't  belong  to  me." 

"  It's  such  a  little  thing  I  wouldn't  have  minded  it." 

*'  It  is  the  *  littles  '  that  make  us,  Jenie.  Lookout 
for  the  little  foxes  and  the  lions  will  keep  away.  Now, 
let  me  see  how  you  look.  As  sweet  and  clean  as  a 
whistle.  Let  me  straighten  your  cap.  Dear  me,  there's 
a  button  off  your  shoe.  I  must  sew  that  on  right  away. 
It  doesn't  look  ladylike,  you  know,  to  go  with  the  but- 
tons off." 

Jenie  laughed.  '*  Me  a  lady!"  she  exclaimed  as  if 
the  idea  were  preposterous. 

'*  To  be  sure,"  said  Elsie  seriously.  ''  You  can  be  just 
as  much  a  lady  in  your  work  as  Mrs.  Mason  in  hers." 

''  Humph !     She'd  laugh  at  me." 

*'  That  wouldn't  affect  the  fact,  and  nobody  will 
laugh  at  you  for  respecting  yourself.  Only  you  must 
lookout  that  you  don't  think  so  much  of  yourself  that 
you  neglect  your  duty.  People  would  have  a  right  to 
laugh  at  you  then.  Now  I'm  going  for  the  rose;" 
and  having  seen  that  Jenie's  belongings  were  in  order, 
she  opened  the  door  and  started  for  the  lower  hall, 
humming  a  gay  chansonette  and  emphasizing  its  tune 
with  a  step  as  graceful  as  if  art,  not  nature,  had 
prompted  it.  Herbert  Lynn's  door  stood  open,  and 
unseen  by  Elsie,  he  watched  the  lively  patter  of  a  pair 


164  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

of  bronze  slippers  along  the  hall  with  a  light  that  was 
somewhat  deeper  than  amusement  in  his  eyes. 

"Good-evening!"  he  exclaimed  as  Elsie  neared  his 
door.  "  These  buttons  on  my  glove  are  a  trifle  refrac- 
tory.    May  I  beg  you  to  fasten  them  ?  " 

The  song  on  her  lips  met  instant  suppression  as  she 
glanced  up  with  heightened  color  into  the  blue  eyes 
that  were  smiling  down  at  her.  It  seemed  to  Elsie 
that  it  was  rare  good  fortune  which  sent  James  at  that 
moment  across  the  hall. 

''James/'  she  called,  "  Mr.  Lynn  would  like  to  have 
you  button  his  glove,"  and  without  pausing  a  second 
Elsie  walked  soberly  along  the  hall  to  Mrs.  Mason's 
room.  Herbert  bit  his  lips  in  vexation,  and  re-enter- 
ing his  room,  he  slammed  the  door  in  no  very  amiable 
frame  of  mind. 

''  The  witch !  "  he  exclaimed,  throwing  himself  into  a 
chair  and  scov/ling  like  a  thunder-cloud.  ''  How  cava- 
lierly she  does  treat  me!  Jove!  isn't  she  lovely  in  that 
cheap  finery !  She  ought  to  '  walk  in  silk  attire  and  siller 
hae  to  spare  *  instead  of  being  doomed  to  the  round 
of  Helen's  pots  and  pans.  How  unequally  the  good 
things  of  life  seem  to  be  distributed,  and  how  singular 
it  is  to  find  such  pride  of  character  in  a  girl  occupying 
her  position  in  life.  Well,  I'd  give  *  Jupiter  and  his 
power  to  thunder  '  to  break  that  stubborn  pride  of  hers, 
and  I'll  do  it  or  die  in  the  attempt/' 

A  look  of  resolute  will  settled  over  the  bright,  almost 
boyish,  face  and  gave  it  an  added  strength  and  beauty, 
which  struck  Elsie  wonderingly  as  a  moment  later  she 
encountered  him  in   the  hall  with  her  hands  full  of 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  165 

roses.  He  bestowed  upon  her  only  the  slightest  nod 
as  he  passed  rapidly  down  the  stairs,  and  Elsie  climbed 
to  her  room  and  pinned  the  roses  at  throat  and  belt 
with  a  feeling  that  something  had  taken  the  glamor 
from  the  evening's  enjoyment. 

"  I  don't  care,"  said  she  defiantly.  "  I  knew  my  hands 
would  tremble  if  I  tried  to  fasten  those  buttons;  be- 
sides, I  don't  thank  him  for  noticing  me  in  the  least. 
I'm  only  '  Elsie  the  cook '  and  he  knows  it,  for  all  of 
his  pleadings  to  the  contrary.  I  just  want  him  to  let 
me  alone,  and  there's  all  there  is  of  it." 

This  stalwart  enunciation  of  wishes  was  not  wholly 
borne  out  by  the  misty  eyes  that  greeted  her  from  the 
glass,  and  it  required  several  little  pattings  of  her 
handkerchief  to  clear  them  so  that  she  dare  trust  her- 
self in  the  waiting-room  below.  The  guests  were  al- 
ready arriving  as  Elsie  entered  the  dressing-rooms, 
and  her  services  were  at  once  called  into  requisition 
in  undoing  trains,  buttoning  gloves  and  slippers,  mak- 
ing up  faces  and  arms,  and  arranging  dishevelled  coif- 
fures. More  than  one  quick  glance  was  bestowed  by 
the  guests  upon  the  pretty  maid  in  pink  who  so  deftly 
ministered  to  their  various  needs,  and  one  tall,  statu- 
esque girl  of  superb  grace  and  unusual  elegance  of 
costume  attempted  to  slip  a  dollar  into  Elsie's  hands 
as  she  was  about  to  leave  the  room. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Elsie,  flushing.  "  I — I 
cannot  accept  the  money.  Mrs.  Mason  pays  me  for 
my  work." 

The  lady  laughed  as  she  tapped  Elsie's  cheek  with 
her  fan.     ''You  must  be  a  new  acquisition  of  Helen's. 


l66  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  you  before,  and  as 
for  the  money,  my  dear  child,  I  always  bestow  it  upon 
those  who  serve  and  please  me." 

*'  It  doesn't  seem  right  for  me  to  take  it,"  replied 
Elsie;  ''and  I  hope  you  won't  think  me  ungrateful  if 
I  refuse." 

"  Why,  if  you  will  be  so  quixotic  I  will  not  urge  it 
upon  you,  of  course ;  but  you  are  the  first  of  your  class 
I  ever  remember  to  refuse  a  gift.  I  must  congratulate 
Helen  on  her  rare  good  fortune.  Your  action  is  quite 
unusual,  I  assure  you." 

At  the  first  opportunity  Elsie  turned  to  Martha  and 
Mary,  who  had  smiled  audibly  behind  their  handker- 
chiefs at  witnessing  the  little  scene.  ''  Did  I  do  any- 
thing wrong  ?  "  she  asked  pitifully. 

"  Don't  know  as  it's  very  wrong,"  answered  Martha, 
"  but  it's  awful  silly,  and  you'll  find  out  that  the  tips 
the  rich  folks  give  you'll  buy  lots  o'  nice  things." 

*'  If  that's  all  I  don't  care,"  said  Elsie.  "  I  don't 
want  to  be  rude." 

"  Why  didn't  you  want  it  ?  "  asked  Mary  curiously. 

"  Because  I  am  paid  by  Mrs.  Mason  for  my  work, 
and  because  somehow  it  touched  my  pride  to  be  of- 
fered money  for  nothing." 

Martha  and  Mary  laughed.  "  That's  a  queer  pride 
of  your'n,  Elsie.  I  never  seen  none  like  it  before,"  ex- 
claimed Martha. 

"  It  is  a  pride  I  hope  that  harms  no  one^  not  even 
myself." 

''I  don't  know  about  that!  You'll  always  get  left 
if  you  stand  too  much  on  your  dignity." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 6/ 

"  Not  if  I  am  faithful  in  my  work,  and  that  I  mean 
to  be." 

The  evening  was  after  all  a  great  delight  to  Elsie, 
who  never  allowed  any  misgiving  to  long  cloud  her 
skies.  The  beautiful  costumes,  the  light  laughter,  the 
gay  banter,  the  strains  of  music  that  floated  up-stairs 
from  the  mandolin  orchestra  stationed  in  the  library 
behind  banks  of  ferns  and  roses,  all  seemed  a  dream 
from  the  fairyland  of  the  imagination.  She  hovered 
over  the  balusters  in  the  hall,  and  watched  the  moving 
panorama  below  with  all  the  intoxication  of  youth  in 
bright  and  beautiful  things.  Later  in  the  evening  she 
crept  down-stairs  with  the  other  maids,  and  hiding  her- 
self behind  a  screen  of  palms  in  the  hall,  could  see  in 
the  drawing-room  beyond  the  bevy  of  belles  and  beaux 
in  the  exercise  of  all  the  graces  of  refined  intercourse. 
She  could  see  that  Herbert  Lynn  was  everywhere  wel- 
comed by  bright  eyes  and  cordial  words,  and  a  little 
pang  of  regret  shot  through  her  heart  at  the  injustice 
of  fate.  But  it  was  only  for  a  moment,  and  then,  with 
an  effort  of  will  so  strong  that  it  sent  the  blood  out 
of  her  face,  she  trampled  the  rising  regret  to  death. 

'*  I  will  not,  I  will  not,"  she  said  between  set  teeth, 
as  she  walked  wearily  along  the  hall  to  her  room  when 
the  last  guest  had  departed. 

"You've  dropped  your  roses,"  said  Herbert's  voice 
behind  her  just  as  she  reached  the  foot  of  the  stairs. 

"  No  matter,"  she  said,  half-turning.  ''A  withered 
rose  is  valueless." 

*'  Not  to  me,"  he  replied  emphatically,  as  he  gathered 
them  up  and  deliberately  placed  them  inside  his  vest. 


1 68  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

A  look  of  innocent  wonder  swept  over  Elsie's  face, 
that  was  not  altogether  successful  in  its  effort  to  ap- 
pear natural.  ''A  wilted  rose,  I  suppose,  will  answer 
for  a  rose-jar!  There  are  oceans  in  the  parlors,  and  I 
can  bring  you  a  panful  if  you  v/ish." 

Herbert  took  a  quick  step  that  brought  him  to 
Elsie's  side.  ''  Elsie  Murchison,"  he  exclaimed  half- 
savagely,  '*  do  you  know  I  never  was  baffled  in  my 
life?" 

"  First  times  have  come  to  a  good  many  of  the 
world's  conquerors.  Mr.  Lynn  would  be  a  most  nota- 
ble exception  if  he  continued  an  unbroken  line  of  vic- 
tories." 

"  You  may  mock  me  as  you  choose.  I  have  been 
candid  to  the  verge  of  bluntness  with  you,  and  you 
know  very  well  I  am  desirous  of  obtaining  your  friend- 
ship." 

"And  you  know  very  well,"  answered  Elsie,  all  the 
brightness  dying  out  of  her  face  and  leaving  it  gray 
and  cold,  "  that  there  is  no  friendship  possible  between 
us.  I  resolutely  refuse  to  consider  the  slightest  chance 
of  such  a  thing." 

Stung  to  the  quick,  Herbert  turned  on  his  heel,  say- 
ing vehemently,  ''  Very  well.  So  emphatic  a  state- 
ment as  that  must  be  heeded ;  but  I  am  very  much 
mistaken  if  you  do  not  some  day  regret  it." 

Elsie  had  never  known  such  a  weariness  of  body  as 
she  carried  up  the  long  flight  of  stairs  to  her  room, 
and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  having  been  hunted  and 
driven  to  bay  that  she  threw  herself  across  the  bed 
and  burst  into  tears.     All  the  pent-up  feeling  of  years 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 69 

seemed  to  burst  its  bonds  as  sob  after  sob  shook  the 
slight  frame  and  floods  of  tears  rolled  their  tempestu- 

o 

ous  way  over  her  cheeks.  At  last  the  force  of  the 
storm  was  spent  and  she  sat  up  in  bed,  weak  but  re- 
lieved. 

"I  couldn't  have  been  fiercer  if  I'd  been  Vesuvius 
in  action,"  she  said  ruefully  as  she  tried  to  collect  her 
scattered  senses.  ''  But  I've  done  one  virtuous  act, 
anyway  !  '  Regret  it ! '  Ah,  if  he  only  knew  the  silly 
little  heart  I  carry  here,  and  how  heavy  it  is  and  al- 
ways will  be  !  Meg,  dear,  duty  didn't  find  your  little 
Elsie  on  the  coward's  side,  after  all,  and  yet  how  I 
should  have  enjoyed  saying  'Thank  you,  sir,'  after  the 
regulation  order.  He'll  forget  all  about  me  in  a  day 
or  two,  and  it  is  a  good  deal  better  than  if  I  had  tried 
the  miserable  farce  of  friendship  only  to  have  it  surely 
end  in  trouble.  Now  I'm  the  only  one  to  suffer,  and 
henceforth  I  shall  look  upon  myself  as  quite  a  heroine. 
I  don't  think  there's  much  fun  in  being  one,  though," 
and  with  this  doleful  reflection  Elsie,  like  a  sensible 
girl,  turned  off  the  gas  and  went  to  bed.  If  her  sleep 
had  not  the  peace  of  the  care-free,  it  was  yet  suffi- 
ciently healthy  to  bring  back  the  color  to  her  cheeks 
and  the  lustre  to  her  eyes,  and  no  one  dreamed  of  the 
tempest  of  pain  that  had  swept  over  her  the  night 
before. 


i;o  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

The  week  following  Elsie's  memorable  visit  to  Idle- 
wild  found  Margaret  and  Gilbert  domiciled  in  rooms 
some  ten  blocks  removed  from  the  Mason  mansion ; 
that  being  the  nearest  approach  of  cheap  rents  to  the 
aristocratic  thoroughfare.  The  rooms  were  situated 
in  an  apartment-house,  as  such  are  nowadays  called 
under  the  approved  nomenclature  of  progressive  ideas ; 
but  the  building  was  some  decades  behind  its  impos- 
ing name.  It  was  indeed  a  type  of  the  old  shabbily- 
built,  inconvenient,  and  miasma-breeding  tenement- 
house.  It  was  a  long,  narrow,  five-storied  structure, 
poorly  lighted  and  equally  as  poorly  ventilated  ;  but  it 
was  in  fact  the  only  house  with  a  reasonable  rent 
which  could  be  found  near  enough  to  Elsie  to  warrant 
a  nightly  visit  from  her.  Margaret  chose,  out  of  several 
vacant  rooms,  four  in  the  fifth  story,  because  in  these 
she  had  both  light  and  air,  and  she  felt  she  could  better 
endure  the  inconvenience  of  the  four  long  flights  of 
stairs  than  the  absence  of  two  such  essentials  to  health 
and  comfort.  The  condition  of  the  halls,  which  the 
majority  of  the  tenants  seemed  to  consider  a  lodging- 
place  for  refuse  of  various  kinds,  was  a  terrible  eye- 
sore to  her  housewifely  instincts,  and  she  had  not  been 
many  days  in  her  new  quarters  before  she  put  her 
wits  to  work  to  effect  a  change  in  their  untidy  aspect. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  I /I 

So  far  as  her  own  flight  of  stairs  and  its  contiguous 
hallways  were  concerned,  the  solution  was  simply  a 
compound  of  soap,  water,  and  muscle;  but  when  it 
came  to  the  consideration  of  those  below  her,  some- 
thing like  generalship  was  needed  to  induce  the  desired 
cleanliness.  To  perform  an  undue  share  of  the  public 
work  did  not  by  any  means  enter  into  her  scheme  of 
the  general  good.  The  responsibility  of  the  individual 
was  the  one  hobby,  if  such  it  could  be  called,  which 
Margaret  permitted  herself.  To  arouse  the  latent  in- 
stinct of  self-dependence  and  development  was  an  al- 
most unconscious  exhalation  of  the  sturdy  faith  which 
had  always  made  circumstances  only  a  means  unto  an 
end,  and  that  end  the  uplifting  of  the  better  elements 
of  character.  To  be  her  brother's  keeper  in  so  far  as 
that  keeping  could  induce  a  heartfelt  aspiration  or  a 
simple  kindness,  had  been  but  an  outgrowth  of  the 
unselfishness  of  her  aims.  Few  people  looked  with  as 
lenient  an  eye  upon  the  shortcomings  of  humanity,  or 
were  actuated  by  as  sincere  a  desire  to  lend  a  hand  to 
retrieve  a  false  step,  as  Margaret  Murchison,  Yet  it 
was  with  a  good  deal  of  delicacy  that  she  reviewed 
the  means  whereby  she  might  bring  an  air  of  greater 
thrift  and  cleanliness  into  the  desolate  halls  below. 
Like  all  refined  and  sensitive  people,  she  felt  a  hesi- 
tancy about  bringing  even  an  inferential  reflection  of 
uncleanHness  upon  those  whose  co-operation  she  de- 
sired. 

"  It  will  be  impossible  to  do  it,"  she  sighed,  "  until 
I  have  made  their  acquaintance,  and  won  their  confi- 
dence.     They  will   be  distrustful  and  think  in  their 


172  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

vernacular  that  I  am  putting  on  airs  if  I  broach  the 
subject  before." 

If  the  condition  of  the  halls  dismayed  Margaret,  the 
condition  of  the  living-rooms  of  the  inmates  of  the 
building  was  much  more  disheartening.  Not  that 
poverty  in  its  severest  aspect  was  present,  for  in  nearly 
all  cases  the  rooms  were  occupied  by  the  families  of 
porters,  ofifice  clerks,  and  under  salesmen,  and  although 
a  decent  amount  of  food  and  clothing  vv^as  to  be  had 
by  the  closest  economy,  there  was  such  a  lack  of  home- 
ness  that  it  turned  Margaret  heart-sick.  The  women 
were,  for  the  most  part,  good-natured,  well-intentioned 
souls,  but  tried  beyond  endurance  in  the  almost  hope- 
less task  of  making  both  ends  meet  on  the  scanty  dole 
of  the  one  wage-earner.  Children  Vv^ere  everywhere ; 
for  whatever  other  blessings  may  be  denied  the  toiler, 
the  children  always  come  to  lighten  his  heart  and 
empty  his  pocket.  Ambition  was  well-nigh  dead  in 
their  bosoms ;  for  the  daily  grind  of  hard  work,  the 
lowering  cloud  of  capitalistic  oppression,  and  the  con- 
stantly-increasing tide  of  mongrel,  half-starved  immi- 
grants, who  stood  ever  ready  to  snatch  the  crust  from 
their  lips,  had  left  very  little  opportunity  for  the 
better  classes  of  American  workingmen  to  look  for- 
ward with  any  degree  of  hope. 

There  was  a  wholesomeness  about  Margaret  that 
made  both  men  and  women  trust  her,  and  with  the 
natural  volubility  of  their  class,  the  women  had  poured 
the  whole  story  of  their  daily  struggles  into  her  will- 
ing ears  before  she  had  been  ten  days  in  the  house. 
There  were  twelve  families  in  the  building,  a  number 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 73 

of  rooms  being  unoccupied ;  and  barren  as  had  been 
Margaret's  own  life  in  the  little  parsonage  at  Barnley, 
and  later  at  Idlewild,  she  felt  that  it  had  been  a  broad 
way  of  peace  and  plenty  beside  the  narrow  line  of  these 
toilers.  With  her,  above  meagre  outlines  and  practi- 
cal details  had  been  the  wide  field  of  growth,  the  pleni- 
tude of  hope,  and  the  infinite  realm  of  thought.  With 
these  people,  cabined  and  confined  year  in  and  year 
out  within  smoke-begrimed  walls,  life  had  become  a 
sordid  round  of  ministering  to  material  needs,  with  no 
blue  skies  to  call  their  eyes  upward  or  song  of  birds 
to  awaken  benumbed  hearts. 

"  I  would  not  have  thought  poverty  could  wear  so 
pitiless  an  aspect,"  she  mused.  "  Something  must  be 
done  to  bring  back  the  revivifying  influence  of  hope 
to  these  people.  But  what  can  I  do,  burdened  with  a 
like  poverty,  against  the  greed  and  extortion  of  these 
capitalists  ?  Just  think  of  men  with  families  compelled 
to  live  and  pay  rent  on  six,  seven,  and  nine  dollars  a 
week,  working  twelve  and  fourteen  hours  a  day,  and 
Sundays  too,  if  the  '  boss '  so  wills,  without  a  penny's 
extra  pay !  Oh,  it  makes  my  blood  boil  when  I  see 
such  injustice !  Is  there  no  relief  for  all  this  ?  Are 
there  no  thunderbolts  of  heaven  to  strike  these  slave- 
drivers  who  compel  their  men  to  this  life,  by  telling 
them  the  market  is  overstocked  with  unorganized 
workers,  and  that  a  body  of  lean  and  hungry  wolves 
stands  ever  ready  to  snatch  their  scanty  crusts  ?  Small 
wonder  that  ambition  dies,  and  that  there  are  only 
mutterings  of  discontent  and  savage  envy  and  malig- 
nant plottings  against  the  mighty  magnates  who  insti- 


1/4  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

gate  and  abet  this  monstrous  cruelty.  What  can  I  dc 
for  these  overworked  and  disheartened  mothers,  these 
joyless  children  and  sullen  fathers  ?  How  can  I  help 
them  to  smile,  to  look  for  sunshine  instead  of  clouds  ? 
Out  of  the  abundance  with  which  I  am  blessed  I  must 
devise  some  way." 

Margaret's  abundance  was  certainly  not  that  of 
money,  for  she  had  been  forced  into  taking  ''  slop- 
work"  from  the  factories,  at  forty-five  cents  per  dozen 
for  men's  hickory  shirts  and  fifty  cents  per  dozen 
pairs  for  men's  overalls.  The  winter's  indebtedness 
was  draining  the  greater  share  of  Elsie's  abundant 
wages,  and  Gilbert's  expenses  at  the  training  school 
were  already  eating  into  the  carefully-guarded  one 
hundred  dollars  that  had  been  sent  by  Dr.  Ely.  It 
was  evident  that  what  help  Margaret  gave  could  only 
be  that  of  interest  and  suggestion.  But  how  to  make 
suggestion  inoffensive,  and  how  to  stimulate  ambition 
without  arousing  antagonism,  were  questions  which 
puzzled  her  not  a  little. 

One  Saturday  morning,  returning  from  the  factory 
with  her  arms  laden  Avith  work,  she  stopped  at  the 
doors  of  the  various  rooms  on  her  way  up-stairs  and 
asked  that  all  the  children  who  were  large  enough 
to  climb  the  stairs  be  sent  to  her  rooms  in  half  an 
hour. 

How  joyfully  they  swarmed  the  halls  long  before 
the  appointed  time,  and  what  a  time  Margaret  had 
counting  them  !  Forty-eight  above  five  years  and  the 
eldest  not  above  nine.  ''  How  many  go  to  school  ?  "  she 
asked  as  she  ranged  them  along  the  wall. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  175 

Fourteen  little  hands  were  raised;  of  these  eight 
were  boys. 

''Now,  boys,"  she  exclaimed,  "I'm  going  to  begin 
with  you.  What  do  you  like  best,  or  would  like  best, 
if  you  could  have  your  wish  ?  " 

The  answers  varied  from  peg-tops  to  balloons  and 
locomotives. 

"  How  many  hours  do  you  have  out  of  school  ?  " 

''  School's  out  at  four. 

'*  Till  half-after  six,  then — two  good  hours.  Now, 
how  many  are  willing  to  work  to  earn  money  ?  "  Every 
hand  went  up.  '*  Well,  after  four  o'clock  to-night  I 
want  you  to  come  up  again  to  see  my  brother  Gilbert. 
He  has  fitted  up  a  work-bench  in  one  of  the  rooms,  and 
those  of  you  who  are  willing  to  work,  and  work  hard, 
for  two  straight  hours  a  day,  can  earn  some  money 
by  and  by.  It  will  not  be  so  much  fun,  perhaps,  as 
racing  through  the  halls,  sliding  down  the  stairs,  or 
playing  out  in  the  street ;  but  it  will  buy  the  peg-tops 
and  locomotives  one  of  these  days,  and  there  isn't 
much  in  this  world  we  can  have  without  paying  for  it 
in  one  way  or  another.     Are  you  all  agreed  ?  " 

''You  bet!"  came  the  unanimous  response.  Mar- 
garet smiled  as  she  turned  to  the  girls. 

"  How  many  know  how  to  sew  ?  "  Not  a  single  hand 
was  raised.  "  How  many  are  willing  to  learn  ?  "  Every 
hand  in  the  room  went  up.  "  Boys  and  all,"  exclaimed 
Margaret.  "  Now  let's  make  a  test.  Who  has  a  but- 
ton ofl  his  shoe  ?  " 

"Jimmy!  Johnnie  !  Nell!  Sue!  Mary !  Jane  !  Jack!  " 
sang  out  the  noisy  chorus. 


1/6  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"  Down  on  the  floor,  every  one  of  you.  Now,  I'll 
furnish  needles,  thread,  and  buttons,  and  I  want  every 
one  who  has  a  button  off  to  sew  it  on,  and  sew  it 
strongly,  too.  Now,  the  one  who  sews  a  button  on  the 
best  and  quickest  shall  have  that  card,"  and  Margaret 
pointed  to  a  brilliant  chromo-lithograph  of  angels  with 
impossible  wings  and  beatific  smiles. 

"  Oh,  my!  "  chorused  the  girls. 

'' Jiminy  crickets!"  ejaculated  the  boys,  with  now 
and  then  a  more  forcible  expletive  thrown  in.  It  took 
some  time  for  the  clumsy  little  fingers  to  get  to  work; 
but  Margaret,  noting  down  time  and  names,  kept  close 
tally,  and  at  last  pronounced  every  button  in  its  place, 
and  proclaimed  the  name  of  the  winner  of  the  prize. 

"  Now,"  said  Margaret,  "  this  is  not  all.  If  every 
little  child  here  will  agree  to  keep  the  buttons  on  his 
shoes,  I'll  give  every  one,  at  the  end  of  a  month,  a 
still  handsomer  card,  and  by  that  time  perhaps  the 
boys  will  have  learned  how  to  make  frames  for  them." 

"All  right!"  '^  Betcher  sweet  life!"  "You're  a 
trump  !  "  "  Bully  for  you  !  "  were  the  expressive  an- 
swers with  which  this  proposition  was  met. 

"  I  Vv^ant  to  get  up  a  little  club  among  ourselves  and 
call  it  the  *  Busy  Fingers  Club,'  "  Margaret  went  on, 
"  and  I  want  to  see  how  much  real  good  work  this 
little  club  can  do.  I  expect  to  be  mistress  of  the  club, 
and  the  first  thing  I  shall  ask  will  be  to  see  how  neat 
and  clean  you  can  keep  yourselves.  Now,  take  this 
hand-glass  and  begin  at  the  head,  and  tell  me  how 
many  are  sure  that  their  faces  are  as  clean  as  soap  and 
water  can  make  them." 


A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY.  1 7/ 

It  was  a  shamefaced  little  group  as  the  glass  was 
passed  from  hand  to  hand,  and  hitherto  unnoticed 
and  unthought-of  streaks  and  specks  came  into  view. 
The  girls  eyed  each  other  askance  and  surreptitiously 
applied  their  aprons  to  several  more  obtrusive  marks, 
but  the  boys  made  no  attempt  at  self-improvement  and 
shouted  their  approval  when  one  of  the  older  ones  ex- 
claimed: ''Boys  and  dirt  go  together.  'Tain't  no  use 
to  try  to  keep  clean." 

"  Trying  does  a  great  deal  in  this  world,  and  I  sus- 
pect it  is  equal  to  making  a  boy  declare  war  upon  dirt. 
We'll  hope  it  is,  anyway." 

Thereupon  Margaret  proceeded  to  state  the  plan 
and  laws  governing  the  Busy  Fingers  Club,  whereby 
every  member  was  to  become  an  important  factor  in 
the  great  work  of  self-government  and  improvement. 
When  all  the  details  had  been  submitted,  the  children 
gathered  around  her  enthusiastically.  "  It's  just  the 
jolliest  thing,"  they  cried.  "  We'll  work  like  tigers  so 
long's  you're  our  captain." 

And  they  did.  Under  Gilbert's  tutelage  the  boys 
developed  skill  and  industry  in  wood-carving  and  ama- 
teur cabinet  work,  while  the  girls  from  big  to  little 
grew  deft  in  the  use  of  the  needle,  and  lifted  many  a 
burden  from  the  shoulders  of  tired  mothers  in  timely 
patching  and  darning.  Elsie  became  deeply  interested 
in  Margaret's  efforts,  and  begged  silks  and  velvets 
from  Mrs.  Mason  for  the  girls'  fancy  work,  which  was 
one  day  supplemented  by  a  huge  bundle  containing 
everything  in  the  line  of  material  for  such  work.  The 
bundle  was  sent  anonymously,  and  great  was  the  won- 

12 


178  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

der  of  the  girls  and  Margaret  as  to  its  source.  If  Elsie 
guessed  she  was  discreetly  silent  about  it,  athough  she 
was  possessed  of  no  small  curiosity  to  know  how  the 
scheme  had  become  so  well  advertised.  Her  wonder 
would  have  been  greater,  if  her  curiosity  had  been 
less,  could  she  have  seen  the  companion  of  Lizzette  in 
her  daily  walks  between  market  and  station,  and  some 
times  to  the  very  door  of  Margaret's  hive  of  industry. 
Since  the  evening  she  had  so  resolutely  refused  to 
consider  the  possibility  of  association  between  them, 
Elsie  had  not  encountered  Herbert  Lynn.  Once  or 
twice  she  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  him  in  library  or 
dining-room  as  she  passed  up-stairs  to  her  daily  inter- 
view with  Mrs.  Mason,  but  he  had  always  seemed  en- 
tirely unconscious  of  her  proximity.  Evidently  the 
whim  which  had  seized  him  had  passed,  and  Elsie  as- 
sured herself,  with  somewhat  remarkable  frequency, 
that  she  was  glad  the  young  man's  reason  had  returned, 
and  that  having  been  "  baffled  "  at  last,  she  hoped  he 
would  not  be  so  boastful  in  the  future. 

One  morning,  some  three  weeks  after  Margaret's  re- 
moval to  the  city,  Lizzette  left  Antoine  at  Margaret's 
doonwith  a  hurried  exclamation  • 

"  I  haf  not  ze  moment  to  spare.  I  haf  ze  business 
engagement  zis  morning.  I  no  return  perhaps  zese 
several  hour.  Delay  not  ze  dinner  for  me,"  and  with 
a  kiss  upon  Antolne's  cheek,  she  hastened  down  the 
stairs.  Half-way  up  the  block  she  gave  a  signal  to  a 
gentleman  driving  leisurely  along  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street.  A  second  later  he  drew  rein  at  the  curb- 
stone, and  alighting,  assisted  Lizzette  to  the  seat  be- 
side him. 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 79 

"O  Herbeart!"  she  exclaimed,  "I  know  not  how 
to  tank  you.  You  haf  given  me  ze  hope  once  more. 
Mon  Dieu  !  Eef  eet  be  true  ze  light  of  my  life  vill 
shine  again." 

*'  It  is  only  a  hope  as  yet,"  he  answered,  "  for  I  was 
not  sufficiently  posted  about  his  case  to  enter  into 
particulars.  However,  this  morning's  interview  will 
probably  determine  it." 

''And  ze  docteur  assure  you  he  tink  Antoine  can  be 
made  to  walk  ?  " 

"  There  is  a  chance  for  him,  he  thinks,  but  it  will 
be  months  of  pain  and  tedium  for  the  poor  boy." 

''And  after  zat  zen  his  music  vill  m.ake  him  ze  grand 
maestro,  and  I  need  not  to  toil  till  my  hands — see!" 
and  she  drew  off  a  shabby  cotton  glove,  "  be  so  like 
ze  iron.  Antoine  ze  grand  maestro,  and  Lizzette  ze — 
ze — lady,"  and  she  gave  an  arch  glance,  half-smile  and 
half-tear,  up  at  Herbert's  sympathetic  face.  "  Ah,  eet 
ees  ze  dream  of  fairy  land !  " 

Herbert  smiled  down  at  the  wrinkled  brown  face 
with  the  affectionate  sympathy  of  the  old  boyish  days, 
and  Lizzette  grasped  his  hand  and  patted  it  softly. 
"  Eet  ees  all  so  dear  zat  I  haf  mon  gargon  Herbeart 
to  do  zis  for  me  in  my  old  age.  I  could  take  ze  loan — 
Antoine  sail  repay — from  no  one  so  easy  as  my  Her- 
beart. Eet  ees  no  offence  zat  I  say  eet  seems  like  von 
of  ze  family?  " 

"Offence!  No,"  laughed  Herbert.  "  I  don't  hedge 
myself  around  with  any  absurd  notions  of  caste,  al- 
though E —  By  the  way,  what  a  peculiar  little  body 
your  friend  Elsie  Murchison  is !  " 


l8o  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

Lizzette*s  eyes  twinkled,  but  she  was  resolutely  ob- 
tuse.    "  Je  ne  vous  comprend  pas!     Please  explain." 

"  Oh,  well,  she  is  so — so — proud." 

Lizzette  laughed.  ''  Elsie !  ze  cook  de  votre  soeur 
Madam  Mason  !  " 

"Yes,  cook,  cook,  cook!"  exclaimed  Herbert  vehe- 
mently. "  She's  thrown  that  in  my  face  a  half-dozen 
times,  and  now  you  do  the  same.  What's  the  matter 
with  all  of  you  ?  " 

"  Ze  matter  ees  wiz  you,  Herbeart.  Vot  do  you 
care  to  know  ma  petite  Elsie  ?  " 

"  Because  she  is  the  most  charming  person  I  ever 
met.  You  needn't  look  so  incredulous.  There's  an 
originality  and  a  sweet  womanliness  about  her  that  is 
exceedingly  rare  in  these  days.  I  suppose  I  may  as 
well  tell  you  the  whole  story  of  what  first  attracted 
me,  although  I  shall  enjoin  secrecy  upon  you,"  and 
thereupon  Herbert  proceeded  to  relate  the  scene  in 
the  parlor  which  he  had  witnessed  several  weeks  before. 
Lizzette's  enjoyment  of  the  recital  was  keenly  por- 
trayed in  her  sparkling  eyes  and  expressive  features. 

"Oh,  zat  Elsie !"  she  exclaimed.  "  She  ees  such  a 
witch!" 

"A  most  unapproachable  one,  too,"  answered  Her- 
bert. "  I  had  a  strong  desire  to  make  her  acquaintance 
after  the  unconscious  revelation  I  witnessed,  for  I  felt 
that  it  would  not  hurt  a  certain  conscious  complacency 
of  mine  to  brush  it  against  the  rugged  sense  and  keen 
satire  of  such  a  nature,  and  you  know,  Lizzette,  that 
I  don't  care  a  fig  for  the  creeds  of  society.  I  can  rec- 
ognize a  gentleman  in  the  man  Vvho  drives  my  coach, 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  l8l 

if  he  exhibits  the  qualities  of  one.  But  your  Miss 
Elsie  is  decidedly  averse  to  any  advances  in  that  di- 
rection. In  fact,  she  has  snubbed  me  so  emphatically 
that  I  can't  help  thinking  she  has  a  personal  dislike 
for  me." 

"Ah,  Herbeart,  you  reason  like  ze  boy.  I  know 
Elsie  haf  ze  desire  to  please  your  sister,  and  Helen! 
ze  hurricane  ees  no  comparison  to  her  anger  eef  her 
only  brother  should  disgrace " 

"  Take  back  that  word,  Lizzette !  "  exclaimed  Her- 
bert hotly.  "  Disgrace  and  Herbert  Lynn  never  went 
together,  and  never  will,  please  God.  It  is  no  disgrace 
to  love — what  Is  beautiful  and  right." 

Lizzette  caught  at  his  words  quickly.  "  Tell  me, 
Herbeart,  ees  eet  only  ze  passing  fancy,  or  ze  strong 
man's  love  ?  " 

The  blood  flamed  into  Herbert's  face  as  he  answered 
passionately:  "Would  to  heaven  it  zuas  only  a  passing 
fancy;  but  I  am  afraid  the  ugly  truth  is  that  I'm  in 
love,  as  it  is  called,  for  the  first  time  In  my  life."        ^ 

"  C'est  triste!  C'est  triste!"  murmured  Lizzette. 
"  Helen  vlll  be  zo  angry,  and  eet  ees  so — so — out  of  ze 
right  vay." 

"Nonsense!"  exclaimed  Herbert.  "The  right  way 
doesn't  depend  upon  any  old-world  Ideas  of  aristocracy. 
Were  I  ten  times  a  King  Cophetua,  I  should  sue  my 
little  maid  right  royally,  if  there  were  only  a  little  less 
scorn  in  her  eyes.  I  tell  you,  Lizzette,  there  is  so 
much  unhappiness  bred  in  this  world  by  false  ideas  as 
to  what  is  due  to  position,  and  there  are  so  many  mer- 
cenary and  loveless  marriages,  that  I  am  sick  of  the 


1 82  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

whole  empty  pageant.  I  cannot  see  that  I  am  to 
blame  because  I  happened  to  be  the  only  son  of  a 
millionaire,  nor  do  I  feel  bound  to  render  myself  mis- 
erable for  life  to  please  the  whims  of  those  who  enjoin 
certain  obligations  upon  the  possessor  of  a  little  in- 
flated position.  As  regards  Elsie,  I'd  give  a  good  deal 
to  be  able  to  lift  her  out  of  that  drudgery,  even  if— 
yes,  I'm  so  far  gone  as  that — I  never  saw  her  again. 
Can't  you  help  me  to  help  her,  Lizzette  ?  " 

"  Eet  ees  all  ze  grave  meestake,  Herbeart.  Elsie 
ees  so — so  vot  you  call  independent  zat  she  no  take 
von  sou  in  charity.  I  can  see  no  vay  except  you  for- 
get her  and  leave  her  to  her  own  place.  Eet  ees  often 
so  mooch  meestake  to  marry  beneath  von  too." 

"  That  isn't  the  question,  at  least  not  now.  Such 
gifts  as  Elsie's  ought  to  be  put  to  better  use  than  the 
making  of  sauces  and  salads  in  Helen's  kitchen " 

"  I  take  eet  you  vould  not  mind  eef  ze  talent  vas 
changed  to  Herbeart's  kitchen,"  interrupted  Lizzette. 
"Zat  ees  just  like  ze  man;  he  want  eferysing  to 
himself." 

"You  wouldn't  have  found  me  quite  so  selfish  if  you 
had  waited  a  moment.  I  only  desire  a  chance  for  the 
best  development  of  Elsie's  gifts.  Now  I  needn't  ap- 
pear in  this  matter,  and  a  few  thousand  dollars,  I'm 
sure,  couldn't  be  more  worthily  bestowed." 

"  Non,  non,"  said  Lizzette  with  a  sober  shake  of  her 
head.  "  Elsie  guess  in  no  time,  and  ze  cake  be  all 
dough.  Not  von  sou  vill  she  take  if  she  earn  it  not. 
I  haf  tried  her  and  I  know.  Zare  ees  only  zis  to  hope 
for;  if  so  be  you   not  forget   her:   leave   her  to  her 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 83 

place — eet  would  be  von  bitter  blow  to  her  to  lose  it  — 
and  trust  to  ze  change  in  time  and  circumstance.  Eef 
some  time  I  sail  find  zat  ze  tangle  may  be  made  straight 
and  no  hearts  break,  I  vill  tell  my  Herbeart." 

''A  dubious  promise,  considering  the  view  you  take 
of  the  situation ;  but  there  is  one  thing  you  can  do. 
Antoine  tells  me  Elsie  is  to  pay  for  his  music  lessons; 
let  me  pay  for  them,  while  you  put  the  sum,  small  as 
it  is,  in  the  dime  savings  bank  to  her  account.  That 
will  not  be  charity." 

"  Merely  a  loan  zat  Antoine  sail  repay!  " 

"Oh,  certainly!  What  strict  constructionists  you 
and  your  little  circle  are!  " 

''  Eet  ees  ze  old-time  construction  of  self-dependence 
and  respect  zat  I  haf  learned  of  Margaret  and  Elsie. 
Ze  self-pride  ees  wiz  zem  ze  grande  idee." 

"  Good  doctrine,  I'll  admit ;  but  there  are  times  when 
it  is  excessively  inconvenient." 

*'  Such  times  as  mon  Herbeart  like  to  play  ze  philan- 
thropist, eh  ?  Neffer  mind,  I  feel  ze  day  come  ven 
ze  vay  vill  open  for  ze  help  you  like  to  gif  to  hu- 
manity." 

'*  But  I  am  decidedly  indifferent  to  humanity  in  gen- 
eral.    My  philanthropy  is  specific." 

"And  goes  no  more  beyond  ze  rosy  cheeks  and 
bright  eyes  of  a  pretty  girl!  •  Fie!  fie!  Herbeart,  zose 
bright  eyes  transfix  you  wiz  zere  scorn  if  she  know 
zat.  So  often  I  sees  zem  dimmed  wiz  tears  ovair  ze 
pain,  ze  loss,  ze  trial  of  ze  vide  strange  vorld.  So 
often  she  vish  for  money  zat  she  might  build  up  ze 
strength  of  independence  for  ze  suffering.     Ah,  you 


1 84  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

tink  you  know  ma  petite  Elsie.  Je  vous  dis,  zat  she 
haf  ze  heart  of  ze  angel  in  her  breast.  L'homme  zat 
vin  ze  love  of  ma  petite  sail  take  heaven  to  his  home." 

"Amen,"  said  Herbert  reverently. 

"  But  eet  will  not  be  ze  selfish  heaven ;  eet  sail  be 
so  vide  as  ze  earth,  so  long  as  ze  life!  " 

"Lizzette!"  exclaimed  Herbert  with  a  start.  ''All 
this  shames  me,  for  I  realize  the  selfishness  of  my  aims. 
But  let  me  once  win  Elsie,  and  by  all  that  is  sacred  I 
promise  to  be  as  wax  in  her  hands." 

Lizzette  regarded  Herbert's  flushed  face  with  grave 
eyes.  "  I  tink  you  meestake  her  still.  To  vin  ze  spurs 
and  vear  zem  make  ze  knight  in  her  eyes,  I  fancy." 

''Ah,  well,  I  see  you  are. bound  to  convince  me  that 
the  way  is  difificult;  but  I  do  not  despair  yet.  To  tell 
the  truth,  it  is  a  new  and  somewhat  depressing  knowl- 
edge to  learn  of  how  little  value  Herbert  Lynn  is  in 
this  world.  He  always  fancied  himself  quite  a  per- 
sonage until  he  chanced  on  your  quixotic  circle." 

Lizzette's  eyes  twinkled.  "  Eet  ees  good  sometimes 
to  see  ourselves  in  ze  truthful  mirror  of  unflattering 
eyes.  Still  I  do  not  tink  mon  Herbeart  ees  all  so  bad. 
I  haf  some  fond  hope  for  him  yet." 

"  It  is  fortunate  that  you  have ;  for  with  the  un- 
pleasant truths  I've  been  hearing  lately,  there  is  great 
danger  in  my  finding  this  world  a  hollow  mockery  and 
betaking  myself  to  a  monastery.     But   here  we  are! 

Now   for  a   consultation   with   Dr.  M .     We  shall 

know  the  truth  about  Antoine's  case  soon,  and  then,  if 
favorable,  we  can  tell  the  lad  what  the  future  has  in 
store  for  him." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 85 

Glancing  up,  Lizzette  saw  before  her  the  facade  of 
a  large  hospital,  into  which  they  were  speedily  ushered. 
It  did  not  take  long  to  establish  the  fact  that  so  far 
as  could  be  determined  without  actual  examination 
there  was  hope  for  Antoine,  and  it  was  safe  enough 
to  arouse  the  lad's  anticipations ;  a  thing  which  Liz- 
zette had  hesitated  about  doing  without  strong  pre- 
sumption of  success.  A  personal  examination  the 
following  day  gave  still  greater  color  to  hope,  and 
with  glowing  anticipations  for  the  future,  it  was  settled 
that  within  two  weeks  Antoine  should  take  up  his 
abode  for  six  months  at  the  hospital. 

That  night  Elsie  and  Antoine  held  high  carnival, 
and  between  them  there  was  a  wild  commingling  of 
laughter,  tears,  kisses,  and  music.  Every  now  and 
then  Elsie  would  turn  from  the  organ  to  print  a  kiss 
on  the  lad's  pale  cheek,  and  Antoine  would  throw 
down  fiddle  and  bow  to  clasp  his  arms  around  her  neck 
and  whisper : 

"  Only  think,  Elsie,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  Herbert  all 
this  would  never  have  happened.     Isn't  he  good!  " 


1 86  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

It  was  the  night  before  Antoine's  departure  for  the 
hospital,  and  already  April  breaths  were  balmy  with 
Southland  odors.  Through  the  open  windows  of 
Margaret's  room  there  floated  down  to  passers-by  the 
vanishing  strains  of  a  deftly-handled  violin.  Antoine 
and  Elsie  were  giving  a  farewell  concert  to  Margaret's 
Busy  Fingers  Club,  and  the  strains  of  music  had  drawn 
first  one  inmate  of  the  house  and  then  another  up  the 
long  flights  of  stairs  until  the  rooms  were  full.  It  was 
a  treat  to  which  the  children  had  long  been  looking 
forward,  and  their  elders  found  a  short  surcease  of 
care  in  the  delight  and  abandon  of  the  two  untrained 
musicians,  Elsie  and  Antoine  were  in  their  gayest 
mood,  and  violin  and  organ  seemed  to  laugh  with 
them.  Like  the  birds  they  had  tried  to  imitate  a  year 
ago,  music  seemed  to  be  innate  in  their  breasts,  and 
they  flung  off  gay  quicksteps,  ariettas,  and  rondos  until 
hands,  feet,  and  heads  of  the  little  audience  kept 
almost  unconscious  time,  and  smiles  flitted  from  face 
to  face  in  self-forgetfulness. 

The  music  came  in  fitful  gusts  through  the  open 
windows,  and  passers-by  paused  to  listen,  seemingly 
loth  to  lose  a  note  of  the  gladness  trembling  on  the 
air.     Across  the  street  in   the    shadow   of  a  portico 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY  1 8/ 

a  man  had  stood  for  some  time  in  a  listening  attitude, 
and  as  the  music  seemed  to  grow  madder  and  merrier, 
a  certain  restlessness  became  apparent  in  shifting  feet, 
and  an  uneasy  tapping  of  fingers  on  the  wooden  col- 
umn against  which  he  leaned. 

^'  Antoine  is  gay  to-night,"  he  thought.  ''  Hope  has 
been  awakened  in  his  breast,  and  if  it  were  not  that  I 
might  seem  to  be  seeking  his  thanks  I  should  climb 
the  stairs  and  make  m.yself  known  to  them.  I  wonder 
if  my  Lady  Scornful  would  be  as  unbending  to-night 
as  she  is  within  my  sister's  walls!  I'm  strongly 
tempted  to  try  her — yet  I'm  afraid  it  would  be  an  un- 
wise thing  to  do;  for  as  Lizzette  counsels,  it  is  best  to 
await  developments.  What  an  extraordinary  position 
this  is  for  me,  anyway!  I've  tried  my  best  to  reason 
it  out  on  one  of  Helen's  hypotheses,  but  it  all  comes 
point-blank  against  the  fact  that  life  isn't  worth  living 
without  that  little  bunch  of  spitefulness.  And,  after 
all,  she  moves  in  an  orbit  that  is  distinctly  outside  of 
mine  and  with  which,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  have  very 
little  sympathy.  She  and  her  sister  are  charming 
types  of  self-cultured  women,  and  worthy  of  any  man's 
or  society's  recognition ;  but  their  quixotic  notions 
regarding  a  regenerated  humanity  seem  the  veriest 
nonsense  to  me.  Every  man  for  himself — et  sauve  qui 
pent  is,  as  the  world  makes  it,  a  fairly  good  doctrine. 
What  is  the  use  of  being  burdened  with  the  sins  and 
sorrows  of  the  world  ?  I  don't  consider  myself  re- 
sponsible for  them  or  that  they  would  be  materially 
lessened  if  I  threw  away  my  money  in  clothing  the 
sans  culottes.     Such  people  are  as  ragged  as  ever  the 


1 8-8  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

next  day  after  your  philanthropy,  and  you  are  cer- 
tainly none  the  better  for  it.  Indeed,  the  leaven  of 
generosity,  like  that  of  love,  ought  to  have  a  narrow 
circle ;  it  grovv's  too  pale  if  you  widen  it.  And  yet 
those  two  slender  girls  would  build  up  a  social  para- 
dise in  which  the  ignoble  qualities  of  humanity  have 
no  part.  Greed,  avarice,  jealousy,  insincerity,  are  en- 
tirely eliminated  from  their  scheme  of  life.  Surely  in 
their  position  they  must  have  encountered  all  these 
evils,  and  still  they  ignore  them !  They  look  upon 
others  as  themselves  in  replica,  at  least  in  motive.  A 
natural  conclusion,  no  doubt,  but  one  the  facts  do  not 
bear  out.  One  may  safely  prophesy  regarding  the  out- 
come of  these  Utopian  ideas.  There  never  can  be, 
never  will  be,  anything  but  the  survival  of  the  fittest. 
I  suppose  if  Elsie  heard  me  she  would  say  that  the 
fittest  ought  to  include  the  majority  at  least,  and  that 
it  is  in  the  hands  of  the  fittest  to  help  the  unfit  to  be- 
come fit.  But  that  is  what  Christianity  has  been  try- 
ing to  do  all  these  years,  and  still  the  cry  is,  '  save  us 
or  we  perish.'  These  slender  girls,  hearing  this  cry, 
have  offered  their  empty  hands  to  the  multitude.  And 
the  result  ?  Well,  from  what  Lizzette  tells  me  of  that 
little  club  of  Margaret's,  the  outlook  is  by  no  means 
disheartening ;  but  how  will  it  be  as  the  circle  widens  ? 
How  much  of  heart  and  hope — for  it  is  all  they  have — 
will  they  be  able  to  bring  into  the  work  ?  I  rather  im- 
agine that  unknov/n  quantity  is  beyond  my  arithmetic 
at  present.  How  long  am  I  going  to  be  content  to 
let  this  pathetic  little  drama  go  on  ?  Elsie  seems  to 
have  locked  the  door  against  me  in  that  pitiful  plea  of 


A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY.  1 89 

hers  not  to  jeopardize  her  standing  with  my  sister, 
and  I  am  more  completely  shut  out  of  her  sympathies 
than  if  I  were  the  beggar  at  her  door.  Even  Lizzette 
shakes  that  sage  head  of  hers  and  says  it  is  not  right. 
Right !  what's  wrong  about  it  ?  If  I  had  a  perverted 
taste  and  Elsie  was  coarse  and  ignorant,  and  the 
chances  were  all  against  the  ultimate  happiness  of  such 
a  union,  perhaps  I  might  be  induced  to  see  my  error. 
But  Vv'hen  did  reason  ever  lend  her  balances  to  a  man 
in  love  ?  I  always  supposed  I  was  sane  enough  until 
a  certain  Miss  Elsie  Murchison  took  to  snubbing  me; 
yet  here  I  am,  a  love-sick  boy,  mooning  outside  of  her 
window,  and  like  Benedick,  '  a  college  of  wit-crackers 
cannot  flout  me  out  of  my  humor.*  Dear  Lady  Dis- 
dain, good-night!  I'm  going  home  to  read  my  Shake- 
speare once  more  and  learn  of  my  prototype  how  to 
rail  at  and  forget  you — if  I  can !  " 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  and 
Margaret  sat  alone  in  her  room  thinking  wistfully  of 
Antoine  and  the  long  six  months  of  his  stay  at  the 
hospital.  The  lad  had  gone  cheerfully  to  the  loneli- 
ness and  pain  before  him,  never  doubting  that  the 
glad  promise  of  walking  like  other  m.en  and  awaking 
to  the  joy  of  vigorous  life  would  be  fulfilled.  Indeed, 
his  faith  was  so  absolute  that  it  took  av/ay  much  of 
the  pang  of  separation,  and  Margaret  and  Elsie  had 
choked  back  unbidden  tears  and  promised  him  a 
weekly  visit  of  long  talks  and  merry  times.  Books, 
violin,  and  a  mandolin,  the  gift  of  Herbert,  had  been 
sent  with  his  other  belongings,  and  a  daily  order  for 
flowers  had  been  left  by  Herbert  at  'he  florist's.     All 


IQO  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

that  loving  hands  could  do  to  smooth  the  painful  path 
had  been  done,  and  now  there  was  nothing  left  but  to 
hope  and  wait.  But  how  they  all  missed  him !  The 
pale  quiet  face,  the  great  dark  eyes,  the  loving  smile, 
and  the  sweet  strains  of  his  violin  had  so  entwined 
themselves  around  their  hearts  that  not  to  find  them 
daily  ministers  to  their  need  seemed  a  sore  depriva- 
tion. **  Elsie's  smile  will  be  more  infrequent  now  that 
Antoine  is  no  longer  with  us,"  sighed  Margaret.  "  I 
am  afraid  our  loved  evenings  will  be  doleful  enough 
without  our  laddie.  Still  there  must  be  the  same 
adherence  to  duty  wherever  the  lines  fall,  and  perhaps 
our  progress  Avill  be  all  the  more  substantial  when  we 
realize  that  hard  work  is  our  only  master." 

There  was  a  sudden  scurrying  of  feet  up  the  stairs 
and  several  children  burst  breathlessly  into  the  room. 
"O  Miss  Margaret!"  they  cried,  "just  come  and  see 
Avhat  some  men  have  done  to  the  new  tenant — the 
one  that  only  moved  in  a  week  ago!  They've  just 
come  and  took  every  bit  of  furniture,  and  the  woman 
is  sick,  and  they  took  the  bed  from  under  her  and  left 
her  only  a  straw  tick  and  a  quilt,  and  she's  crying 
awful,  and  the  two  little  babies  are  squalling,  and — oh  ! 
it's  dreadful!  " 

Margaret  quickly  followed  the  children  down  two 
flights  of  stairs,  to  find  the  scene  even  more  pitiable 
than  the  children  had  described.  Upon  a  thin  straw 
mattress  in  the  corner  lay  a  woman  with  her  face  hid- 
den in  her  arms,  while  heart-rending  sobs  shook  her 
frame  from  head  to  feet,  and  two  little  children,  as  yet 
only    prattling    babes,    crouched    beside    her    crying: 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  101 

"  Mamma,  mamma,  look   up.     Talk  to  baby.     Don't 
cry!     Mamma!     Mamma!" 

Margaret  knelt  beside  the  agonized  form  and  softly 
stroked  back  the  hair  from  the  face  that  remained 
persistently  hidden,  and  then,  taking  both  of  the  won- 
dering babies  in  her  lap,  said  softly  to  the  group  of 
children  at  the  door:  "  Now  run  away,  dears,  and  shut 
the  door." 

The  children  obeyed  instantly,  and  Margaret  re- 
mained softly  stroking  the  woman's  hair  and  hugging 
the  now  quiet  babies  to  her  bosom.  Under  the  sooth- 
ing influence  of  Margaret's  touch  and  presence  the 
violent  sobbing  soon  ceased,  and  a  tear-stained  face,  lit 
up  by  a  pair  of  hollow  eyes,  glanced  up  at  Margaret. 
One  glance  caused  a  sudden  transformation  in  the 
convulsed  and  agonized  face,  and  a  thin  hand  crept  out 
toward  Margaret  as  the  woman  said  brokenly,  but  in 
the  unmistakable  voice  and  language  of  refinement: 
"You  are  good  not  to  pass  by  on  the  other  side. 
What  made  you  come  here  ?  " 

"  Love,"  said  Margaret  simply. 

"  Love  ? "  repeated  the  woman  interrogatively. 
*'  Love  died  long  ago,  and  the  devils  of  greed  and  pride 
danced  at  his  funeral." 

''  Not  in  all  hearts,  I  trust.  Love  lives  to  help  and 
strengthen  sufferers  like  you.  Can  you  tell  me  any 
way  to  help  you  ?  " 

''Yes— kill  me!"  The  hollow  eyes  gleamed  with 
sullen  despair. 

''And  the  babies?"  asked  Margaret  as  she  stroked 
back  the  rings  of  flaxen  hair  above  the  fair  little  brows. 


192  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"  Oh,  God  forgive  me !  I  am  so  wretched,  so  des- 
perate." 

"  I  know  it,  and  I  do  not  blame  you ;  but  let  us  see 
if  there  is  not  some  way  toward  the  sunshine.  Tell 
me  all  about  it." 

"  It  is  only  a  little  to  tell.  The  marriage  of  a  petted, 
only  daughter,  with  a  head  full  of  romantic  notions, 
to  a  man  whose  only  fortune  was  head  and  hands ;  but 
who  held,  at  the  time  of  my  marriage,  a  salaried  posi- 
tion as  manager  of  a  prosperous  business  firm.  A 
panic,  a  failure,  and  consequent  loss  of  employment, 
followed  by  unsuccessful  attempts  at  re-establishment 
in  the  old  line,  the  yielding  of  health  at  the  shrine  of 
motherhood,  the  gradual  settling  into  bare  and  bitter 
poverty,  the  disposal  of  every  article  of  value,  and 
that  last  resort  of  the  impecunious,  the  buying  of 
needed  furniture  on  the  instalment  plan,  followed  by 
the  forcible  taking  back  of  the  furniture  just  before 
the  last  payment  could  be  made." 

"  And  your  husband  ?  " 

"  He  went  out  again  this  morning  in  the  old,  well- 
nigh  hopeless  search  for  work." 

''Your  parents  ?  " 

"  They  live  in  a  distant  city  and  know  nothing  of 
this.  I  married  against  their  wishes.  There  were  just 
five  dollars  more  due  on  the  furniture,  but  the  chattel- 
mortgage  shark  exacted  immediate  payment,  and  of 
course  I  could  not  meet  it.  He  was  kind  enough  to 
leave  me  this,"  and  the  thin  hands  pulled  at  the*  tat- 
tered quilt. 

'*  Oh,    it    is   pitiful!      Shameful!"    exclaimed    Mar- 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 93 

garet.  "  You  must  not  be  left  to  lie  here.  Can  you 
walk  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  walked  a  step  In  three  months.  Edward, 
my  husband,  has  lifted  me  in  his  arms  and  managed 
to  care  for  me  and  the  babies.  Oh,  it  is  terrible,  the 
way  we  have  been  compelled  to  live."  And  sobs  again 
shook  the  slight  frame. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Margaret  soothingly.  ''  It  will 
be  better  soon.  My  rooms  are  two  flights  above,  so 
it  will  be  impossible  to  take  you  there,  but  you  shall 
have  a  comfortable  bedroom  and  kind  friends  to  look 
after  you.  I  shall  be  compelled  to  leave  you  for  a 
few  moments,  until  I  can  ask  some  of  these  friends  to 
make  room  for  you." 

*' Oh,  don't  trouble  anybody!  I  can't  bear  to  be 
thrown  upon  charity.     It  hurts  my  pride  so." 

"We  won't  call  it  charity;  we'll  call  it  love.  The 
love  that  prompted  the  Samaritan  and  a  greater  than 
he  to  moisten  parched  lips  with  cooling  waters  and 
taught  mankind  the  constant  need  they  have  of  each 
other." 

"And  do  you  believe  in  Him  ?" 

"With  an  everlasting  faith,"  answered  Margaret. 

"  I  did  once  until  the  inhumanity  of  the  world  made 
me  doubt." 

"  Doubt  no  longer,"  said  Margaret,  smiling,  "  for  He 
has  raised  up  succor  for  you."  With  these  reassuring 
words  Margaret  sought  the  rooms  of  several  good 
women  of  the  house,  to  hold  counsel  with  them  and 
determine  the  best  course  to  pursue,  Margaret's  story 
evoked  such  a  storm  of  indignation  and  invective 
13 


194  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

against  the  mortgage  shark  that,  if  it  could  have 
gathered  sufficient  volume,  would  have  swept  the 
whole  guild  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  And  yet,  one 
and  all  counselled  Margaret  not  to  meddle  with  the 
matter. 

"You  can't  do  nothin' with  'em.  They've  got  the 
power  and  they  know  it,"  was  the  unanimous  conclu- 
sion of  the  little  circle. 

"  But  the  injustice  of  it,"  exclaimed  Margaret.  "  I 
can't  stand  tamely  by  and  see  a  helpless  being  robbed." 

"  No  more  could  we  if  there  was  any  chance,  but 
you'll  find,  the  longer  you  live,  that  the  poor  don't 
have  no  justice  in  this  world.  The  laws  is  all  made 
for  the  rich." 

''  Then  it  is  the  fault  of  the  poor  man  if  he  has  no 
justice,  for  he  is  a  recognized  factor  in  the  vote  that 
sends  men  to  make  those  laws,  and  if  he  knows  his 
rights  he  can  have    them  maintained." 

''  Well,  I  don't  know  how  it  is,  but  my  man  has  to 
vote  as  the  boss  tells  him  or  lose  his  place." 

"  Shame !  Shame !  "  said  Margaret  indignantly, 
"  and  this  is  America's  boasted  freedom  of  life  and 
thought!  But  we  are  forgetting  that  poor  woman. 
Who  among  you  will  take  her  in  until  something  can 
be  done  ?  " 

"  I,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Smith,  a  motherly  woman  whose 
rooms  were  on  the  same  floor.  ''  We're  a  good  deal 
crowded  now,  but  she  shan't  lay  there  and  suffer  so 
long  as  I  have  a  crust." 

"  Let  us  hope  it  will  be  only  a  temporary  incon- 
venience.    I   am   going   to  find   some  way  to   unravel 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  1 95 

this  web  of  injustice  and  regain  possession  of  those 
goods." 

'*  You'll  have  your  trouble  for  your  pains,"  said  Mrs. 
Smith  dubiously  as  they  walked  along  the  hall. 

"  It  may  be,  but  there  will  be  some  satisfaction  in  try- 
ing. Here  we  are!"  Margaret  exclaimed  as  they  entered 
the  sick  woman's  room  "  Now  we'll  make  a  chair  of 
our  hands  and  between  us  carry  you  to  Mrs.  Smith's 
room,  whose  heart  is  as  large  as  her  back  is  broad." 

''You're  making  it  pretty  big,"  laughed  Mrs.  Smith 
as  she  presented  her  ample  form  to  the  sick  woman's 
view.  A  faint  smile  at  the  pleasantry  played  over  the 
wan  face,  as  she  allowed  them  to  lift  her  to  the  im- 
provised seat  and  carry  her  to  a  bed. 

"  Now,"  said  Margaret,  when  their  charge  was  safely 
bestowed  between  clean  sheets,  and  the  babies  were 
softly  cooing  on  either  side  of  her,  ''  I  want  all  the  in- 
formation you  can  give  me,  and  all  the  papers  you 
have  relative  to  this  furniture.  I  am  going  to  make 
an  effort  to  get  it  back." 

''You  will  find  an  old  portfolio  in  the  tick  I  was 
lying  on.  All  the  receipts  for  money  paid  and  the 
contract  are  in  it." 

As  Margaret  returned  with  the  portfolio,  a  sheet  of 
paper  fell  from  it  and  fluttered  to  the  floor.  She 
picked  it  up  and  was  about  to  restore  it,  when  the  sick 
woman  said :  "  Read  it.  It  will  verify  the  statement 
I  made  a  few  moments  ago." 

Margaret  glanced  along  the  page  and  saw  that  it 
v/as  poetry  written  in  a  free-flowing  hand.  Seating 
herself  beside  the  bed  she  read: 


196  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"O  Soul,  I  am  tired  of  you,  tired  ! 

You  do  nothing  but  think  and  feel, 

And  often  you  weep, 

In  some  sensitive  deep. 
O'er  wounds  that  you  cannot  heal. 

"  O  Soul,  I  am  tired  of  you,  tired  ! 

You  have  threaded  the  paths  of  life, 

And  found  the  sweet. 

Too  incomplete 
To  answer  the  pain  and  strife. 

"  O  Soul,  I  am  tired  of  you,  tired  ! 
You  give  me  no  peace  or  rest ; 
The  blinding  steep, 
Or  lonely  deep 
I  walk  at  your  stern  behest. 

"  O  Soul,  I  am  tired  of  you,  tired  ! 

You  have  only  your  faith  and  prayer  ; 

For  every  ill. 

Their  utterance  still 
Comes  back  on  the  empty  air. 

"  O  Soul,  I  am  tired  of  you,  tired  ! 
How  often  with  faith  and  you, 

I  have  tried  to  soar 

Where  doubt  is  no  more, 
And  humanity's  sometimes  true. 

"  O  Soul,  I  am  tired  of  you,  tired  ; 
Why  ask  for  an  endless  day  ? 
I  am  tired  of  the  light. 
And  long  for  the  night. 
To  rest  forever  and  aye  ! 

"  O  Soul,  I  am  tired  of  you,  tired  ! 
Go  ask  of  Time,  and  find 
Some  quiet  spot. 
Where  feeling  is  not, 
And  oblivion  conquers  niind  !  " 

As    Margaret   finished   reading   she   bent   over   and 
kissed  the  white  face.     ''  Is  this  yours  ?  "  she  asked. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  I97 

"Yes,  and  dozens  of  others.  They  have  been  my 
safeguard  against  insanity.  Only  when  I  could  go 
outside  of  myself,  could  I  find  anything  to  make  the 
barren  life  endurable." 

"  Have  you  offered  any  for  publication  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I  have  neither  stamps  nor  courage." 

"  May  I  keep  this  ?  "  asked  Margaret,  referring  to 
the  one  she  had  just  read. 

"  Certainly,  if  you  like  it." 

"  I  do,  very  much ;  and  now  let  me  see  the  contract 
and  receipts." 

Margaret  found  that  the  original  bill  and  contract 
called  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  but  that  the 
expense  of  making  mortgage  and  the  interest  had  been 
compounded  until,  although  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  dollars  had  been  paid,  it  still  called  for  a  balance 
of  five  dollars,  which  remaining  unpaid,  permitted  fore- 
closure and  forcible  seizure  of  the  furniture. 

''A  Shylock's  bond!"  exclaimed  Margaret  indig- 
nantly. "  It  is  so  manifestly  unjust  that  I  feel  sure 
there  is  a  law  somewhere  to  cover  it." 

**  We  knew  at  the  time  the  goods  were  bought  that 
it  was  an  unjust  contract,  but  we  had  no  money  to  pay 
down,  and  what  could  we  do  ?  It  is  just  the  way  the 
world  takes  advantage  of  necessity.  The  trite  maxim 
that  '  sentiment  and  business  have  nothing  in  common  ' 
you'll  hear  on  the  lips  of  every  man  in  trade." 

'^  We  shall  hear  how  justice  agrees  with  business, 
then,"  said  Margaret,  rising.  ''  I  should  like  to  put  the 
bitter  dose  of  equitable  payment  for  these  crimes 
against  common  humanity,  betv/een  the  teeth  of  these 


198  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

sharks.  At  any  rate,  if  there  is  no  justice  for  such  des- 
picable creatures  it  is  time  it  was  known." 

"  Humanity  has  a  grand  defender  in  you,"  said  the 
sick  woman,  looking  admiringly  at  Margaret's  flushed 
cheeks  and  flashing  eyes. 

"  Not  so,"  she  replied,  shaking  her  head.  ".I  know 
my  weakness  and  ignorance  too  well.  I  only  recognize 
the  truth  that  the  primitive  idea  of  equal  rights  seems 
to  have  been  utterly  lost  in  this  avaricious  world.  But 
so  long  as  I  have  voice  I  shall  speak  for  it.  The  good 
such  speaking  may  do  remains  to  be  seen." 

Margaret  went  up  to  her  rooms  and  opened  her 
purse  to  see  how  much  money  she  had  at  her  com- 
mand. Of  the  money  Dr.  Ely  had  sent,  but  fxve  dollars 
remained.  "  If  worst  comes,  and  I  cannot  regain  the 
furniture,  this  will  at  least  buy  them  something  to  eat, 
and  I  can  loan  them  Gilbert's  bed  while  he  takes  the 
lounge,  until  the  way  is  opened  for  something  better. 
Now  to  find  a  lawyer  in  whose  hands  to  put  the  case." 

Once  on  the  street,  Margaret  realized  that  in  all  the 
great  city  she  knew  no  one  to  whom  she  might  apply 
for  advice.  She  wandered  down  toward  the  business 
part  of  the  city,  intently  scanning  signs  and  inwardly 
praying  that  she  might  be  directed  to  some  one  who, 
with  the  profession  of  lawyer,  combined  the  outlawed 
sentiment  of  humanity.  **J.  Brown,  Attorney,"  glit- 
tered in  gilt  letters  before  her,  and  up  the  two  tall 
flights  of  stairs  she  followed  the  beckoning  sign.  A 
gentle  rap,  answered  by  a  gruff  ''  Come  in !  "  and  the 
room  of  J.  Brown,  Attorney,  opened  to  her  view. 

''  Is  Mr.  Brown  in  ?  " 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  I99 

"  I  am  he.     What  can  I  do  for  you,  madam  ?  " 

"  I  desire  advice  on  a  matter  of  business." 

"Ah,  be  seated,  please.     You  may  state  your  case." 

Margaret  lost  no  time  in  doing  so,  relating  the  piti- 
ful story  with  such  succinct  detail  that  the  lawyer 
beamed  at  her  with  evident  admiration. 

"  Very  well  stated,  madam — very  well,  indeed.  Are 
these  people  in  any  way  related  to  you  ?  " 

"  They  are  entire  strangers." 

''And  you  have  taken  up  their  case  from  pure 
charity  ?  " 

"From  pure  humanity,  rather;  as,  indeed,  I  would 
that  another  should  do  for  me." 

"  Very  admirable  of  you,  indeed  ;  but  you  are  doubt- 
less aAvare  that  it  takes  money  even  to  champion  the 
cause  of  humanity." 

"  I  am,"  said  Margaret  briefly,  though  with  sinking 
heart. 

"  Then  you  will  readily  see  that  I  can  give  you  no 
advice  on  this  matter  without  cash  in  hand." 

"  How  m.uch  does  it  require  ?  " 

"  In  consideration  of  circumstances,  I'll  make  it 
merely  nominal.     Say  five  dollars !  " 

Margaret  arose  to  her  feet  somewhat  unsteadily. 
"  I  have  but  five  dollars  in  my  purse,  sir,"  she  ex- 
plained, "  and  I  shall  need  it  to  buy  food  for  the  sick 
Avoman.     I  shall  be  compelled  to  look  further." 

"  As  you  like,"  and  J.  Brown,  Attorney,  stiffly  turned 
his  back  on  Margaret  and  returned  only  a  slight  ac- 
knowledgment of  her  faint  "  Good-afternoon."  Some- 
what depressed  by  this  encounter,  Margaret  wandered 


200  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

on  and  entered  no  less  than  six  offices,  to  be  met  with 
very  nearly  the  same  treatment  in  every  case,  and  the 
identical  result  in  all.  "  The  cause  of  humanity  can- 
not be  championed  without  money!  " 

These  words  seemed  burned  in  on  Margaret's  brain 
as  she  left  the  last  of  these  offices  and  stood  irresolute 
and  disheartened  upon  the  sidewalk.  How  could  she 
take  the  story  of  failure  back  to  that  suffering  woman  ? 
How  could  she  bear  to  tell  her  that  the  promised  suc- 
cor was  only  a  chimera  of  her  own  quixotic  brain  ? 
"  I'll  not  do  it,"  she  said  resolutely.  "  I'll  go  tell  that 
little  sister  of  mine,  and  though  I  know  her  purse  is 
always  low,  perhaps  her  fertile  brain  may  suggest 
what  my  own  stupefied  one  fails  to  apprehend." 

Margaret  Avas  coming  up  the  area  steps  of  the  Mason 
mansion  with  her  purse  reinforced  by  two  dollars,  the 
entire  contents  of  Elsie's  pocketbook,  when  she  en- 
countered Herbert  Lynn  just  descending  from  his 
buggy. 

"  Miss  Murchison,  I'm  delighted  to  meet  you  once 
again,"  he  exclaimed  as  with  smiling  face  he  advanced 
to  greet  her.  There  were  tears  on  Margaret's  cheeks 
and  trembling  on  the  heavily-fringed  lids  of  the  blue 
eyes.  "Pardon  me,"  he  cried  solicitously.  ''You  are 
in  trouble."  Margaret  hastily  brushed  the  tears  away 
as  she  answered : 

"  Only  a  little  overwrought.  I've  been  passing 
through  some  trying  scenes  to-day." 

"  You  were  going  home  ?  Let  me  take  you  there. 
Fortunately  my  buggy  is  just  at  hand." 

''  Thank  you !     I'm  not  going  home  at  present.     I 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  20I 

have  some  purchases  to  make,  and  I  do  not  Hke  to 
detain  you." 

''  I  have  ample  leisure,  and  it  will  be  a  new  sensation 
to  be  of  some  use.     I  beg  you  to  command  my  services." 

Margaret  glanced  up  curiously  at  the  eager,  almost 
boyish,  face.  "  Perhaps  if  I  were  to  tell  you  my 
errand  you  would  not  be  so  ready  to  offer  your  ser- 
vices. It  is  not  pleasant  to  one  who  cares  for  his  own 
peace  of  mind." 

Herbert  laughed.  ''  I  shall  insist  now  where  before 
I  begged.  Perhaps  my  own  peace  of  mind  will  be  all 
the  dearer  by  contrast." 

"If  you  insist  I  accept  gratefully;  for  the  truth  is, 
my  self-reliance  is  a  good  deal  shaken." 

When  they  w^ere  seated  in  the  buggy  and  driving 
leisurely  along  the  boulevard,  Margaret  said:  ''I  am 
glad  I  have  met  you,  for  I  have  a  story  to  tell  and  ad- 
vice to  ask."  Without  further  prelude  she  detailed 
the  events  of  the  day.  Herbert  listened  attentively 
until  the  whole  story  had  been  told,  and  then,  with  a 
new  look  of  earnestness  on  his  face,  he  exclaimed  em- 
phatically : 

"  Miss    Murchison,   if   there   are   brains    enough   in 

C ,  this  dastardly  outrage  shall  be  probed  to  the 

bottom.  It  is  enough  to  make  a  man's  blood  boil  to 
think  of  the  injuries  inflicted  on  suffering  women  and 
children  by  such  overpowering  greed.  But,"  he  added, 
glancing  at  his  watch,  "  it  is  five  o'clock  and  already 
past  office  hours.  Nothing  can  be  done  until  to- 
morrow. If  you  will  trust  me  with  these  papers,  I 
will    make   an   early   effort   to-morrow   to   regain    the 


202  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

furniture.  In  the  mean  time,  allow  me  to  supply  a  bed 
and  immediate  necessaries  for  the  sufferers." 

*'  That  will  not  be  needed,"  interposed  Margaret. 
"I  have  a  bed  of  Gilbert's  which  I  can  loan  them " 

"And  turn  the  poor  fellow  onto  the  floor!"  in- 
terrupted Herbert.  "  That  is  philanthropy  gone  mad, 
Miss  Murchison.    I  shall  insist  upon  supplying  the  bed." 

"  I  am  perfectly  sane,  Mr.  Lynn,"  laughed  Margaret, 
*'  and  contemplate  nothing  worse  than  asking  Gilbert 
to  occupy  a  lounge." 

''  We'll  forestall  that  by  the  purchase  of  a  bed.  Now 
that  you've  taken  me  into  partnership,  you  must  not 
deny  me  my  rights." 

"  Not  if  you  look  upon  it  in  that  light,"  said  Mar- 
garet seriously.  "  Still  I  should  regret  it,  if  it  seemed 
a  charity  that  was  forced  upon  you." 

"  You  would  rather  inconvenience  yourself  than  ask 
a  favor  of  one  w4iom  you  knew  to  be  perfectly  able  to 
grant  it  ?  " 

"  I  should,  if  I  thought  the  favor  would  be  bestowed 
as  a  mere  matter  of  form,  without  the  promptings  of 
a  generous  spirit." 

"  'The  gift  without  the  giver  is  vain,'  "  quoted  Her- 
bert musingly.  "  You  can  trust  the  spirit  this  time. 
Miss  Murchison,"  he  added,  with  a  half  smile.  "  It  has 
lighted  its  torch  at  your  altar." 

''Thank  you,"  replied  Margaret  gratefully,  "but 
only  for  the  time  being,  I  am  sure.  The  embers  are 
glowing  on  the  home  shrine." 

"  Belief  from  such  a  source  is  most  highly  treasured," 
commented  Herbert  smilingly.     "  Now  that  you  have 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  203 

complimented  me  so  generously,  perhaps  you  will  tell 
me  what  I  must  do  to  deserve  it." 

"  Buy  the  bedstead,"  said  Margaret  dryly. 

''  To  hear  is  to  obey,"  and  putting  whip  to  his  horse, 
Herbert  soon  drew  up  before  a  down-town  furniture 
store,  where  bedstead  and  clothing  were  purchased 
and  dispatched  on  their  way.  A  huge  basket  of  pro- 
visions was  next  procured  and  stowed  away  in  the 
buggy,  while  Margaret  carried  a  smaller  one  of  fruit. 

"  Let  me  carry  these  to  your  room,"  said  Herbert 
as  they  drew  up  before  Margaret's  home.  "  You  are 
to  be  sole  almoner,  for  I  beg  you  not  to  let  my  name 
appear  in  the  transaction." 

"  I  shall  be  compelled  to,"  said  Margaret,  "  if  only 
as  the  mythical  great  and  good  man  of  all  such  works 
of  charity.  I  could  not  truthfully  bear  the  burden  of 
so  much  generosity." 

*'  Paint  me  as  glowingly  as  you  please,  if  only  you 
give  me  no  local  habitation  or  name." 

"  Your  wish  shall  be  respected.  Will  my  presence 
be  necessary  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  No,  I  can  save  you  all  further  trouble.  And  now 
good-night,  and  thank  you  for  having  given  me  a  few 
genuinely  happy  hours." 


204  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

"Well,  we've  won !"  exclaimed  Herbert  the  next 
day  as,  having  mounted  the  stairs  two  at  a  time,  he 
thrust  his  head  into  Margaret's  open  door.  ''  The  men 
are  putting  the  furniture  into  the  room,  and  I've  a 
httle  sop  in  the  way  of  damages,"  and  he  drew  from 
his  pocketbook  a  bank-note  for  ten  dollars  and  laid  it 
in  Margaret's  lap. 

She  looked  at  it  dubiously.  "  Oh,  it  is  honest,"  he 
laughed  ;  "  there's  no  taint  of  charity  about  it.  Such 
high-handed  crimes  against  justice  must  be  made  to 
suffer  the  penalty.  It  has  set  me  to  thinking,  too, 
that  it  is  tim.e  something  was  done  toward  establish- 
ing justice  for  these  helpless  poor.  Why,  the  case 
would  never  have  been  won  if  I  had  not  employed 
some  of  the  best  talent  in  the  city." 

*' And  that,  of  course,  is  costly." 

"Of  course;  often  more  than  the  little  sum  in  ques- 
tion. By  the  way,  have  you  seen  the  head  of  this  dis- 
tressed family  down-stairs?" 

"  I  saw  him  for  a  few  moments  last  night.  He 
seems  to  be  a  gentleman  in  bearing  and  acquirements, 
but  he  wears  a  depressed,  hopeless  expression  and  a 
listless,  half-hearted  manner,  that  I  can  see  are  a  con- 
stant thorn  in  the  side  of  his  more  energetic,  if  en- 
feebled, wife." 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  205 

"  Well,  no  wonder,  if  half  the  story  she  tells  is  true. 
This  seems  to  me  a  case  of  genuine  humanity;  one 
that  appeals  directly  to  a  man's  soul  if  he  has  one. 
That  man  ought  to  be  given  work." 

''  True,  but  he  says  he  has  sought  for  it  far  and  wide." 

''  I  don't  think  he  need  seek  any  further.     I  have  a 

friend  who  is  a  wholesale  grocer  down  on  S \V 

Street,  and  in  relating  the  story  to  him,  he  offered  the 
position  of  porter  at  eight  dollars  a  week.  Not  a 
munificent  salary,  certainly,  but  a  good  deal  better 
than  nothing." 

'*  Oh,  I  am  so  glad !"  exclaimed  Margaret.  "And 
how  happy  that  poor  wife  will  be.  I've  grown  very 
much  interested  in  her,  for  the  reason  that  such  an 
ambitious  spirit  seems  to  dv/ell  within  the  enfeebled 
body.  How  terrible  it  is  when  body  and  spirit  are  so 
at  odds!" 

"Terrible  indeed!  I  really  hope  the  good  news  of 
a  place  for  her  husband  will  act  as  a  tonic.  I  leave 
the  matter  entirely  in  your  hands  and  empower  you 
to  deliver  the  message." 

"  I  will  go  now,  if  you  will  excuse  me.  I  am  in  a 
hurry  to  tell  the  good  news." 

"Oh,  certainly!     Never  mind  me." 

Margaret  returned  with  a  dismayed  and  crestfallen 
countenance.  "  He  refuses  it !  "  she  exclaimed  breath- 
lessly as  she  sank  into  a  chair.  Herbert  gave  a  long 
low  whistle,  and  elevated  his  eyebrows  in  a  cynical 
grimace  that  was  not  at  all  becoming. 

"  I  am  ashamed  to  tell  you  his  reason,"  Margaret 
went  on.     "  It  seems  so  trivial  under  the  circumstances. 


206  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

He  says  he  is  fitted  for  higher  work,  and,  in  short, 
cannot  accept  such  ungenteel  employment." 

"  Well,  that  settles  the  Hon.  Edward  Carson,  Esq.," 
said  Herbert  briskly.  "  I  shall  waste  no  more  sym- 
pathy on  him." 

''  But  the  poor  wife,"  said  Margaret,  the  tears  stand- 
ing in  her  eyes.  "  It  was  pitiful  to  see  the  look  she 
gave  him  and  hear  her  voice  as  she  urged  his  accept- 
ance of  the  place.  '  Anything  is  better  than  starving,' 
she  cried.  'And  perhaps  you  can  work  up  to  a  better 
place;  I  am  sure  you  can  when  your  employers  learn 
your  fidelity  and  trustworthiness;'  but  her  entreaties 
were  useless.  He  was  stubborn  with  that  white  de- 
termination of  an  iron  will.  Neither  the  poor  woman's 
tears  nor  prayers  had  any  visible  effect  upon  him." 

''  What  does  the  fellow  intend  to  do  ?  " 

''  Oh,  he  has  some  little  peddling  devices,  out  of 
which,  I  believe,  he  expects  to  realize  the  fortune  of 
a  Vanderbilt  in  a  short  time.  In  fact,  he  informed  me 
that  he  considered  himself  fully  equal  to  managing  his 
own  affairs." 

"  He  has  proved  it.  Well.  Miss  Margaret,  this  only 
strengthens  my  belief  in  the  folly  of  attempting  to 
help  such  incapables." 

"  But  think  how  the  innocent  suffer  with  the  guilty  ! 
Think  of  the  sick  Avife  and  the  helpless  babies!  Be- 
cause the  man  is  stubborn  and  ill-natured,  must  those 
who  are  dependent  on  him  be  left  to  starve  ?  " 

"  It  seems  a  hard  doctrine,  born  of  that  old  pagan 
idea  of  brute  force;  but  I  sometimes  question  if  it 
would  not  be  the  shortest  way  of  ridding  the  world  of 


A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY.  20/ 

its  great  army  of  incapables.  Don't  look  so  horrified, 
at  least  until  I  have  finished.  Take  this  unfortu- 
nate woman,  delicately  reared,  educated,  refined,  sen- 
sitive; charity  is,  no  doubt,  nearly  as  offensive  to  her 
as  starvation.  Such  people  are  proud  of  their  inde- 
pendence of  character,  and  what  can  she  hope  for  in  a 
future  that  sees  only  the  hand  of  charity  between  her 
and  the  grave  ?  The  helping  hand  in  an  extremity 
like  this  is  different  from  a  bounty  that  must  be  a 
continued  obligation." 

*'  Looking  at  the  question  from  her  standpoint,  per- 
haps you  are  right;  but  in  looking  at  it  from  ours,  I 
think  you  are  wrong." 

"  There's  the  rub  !  These  ethical  questions  demand 
some  other  solution  than  expediency." 

^'  Christianity  alone  can  solve  them,  as  indeed  it  is 
the  only  true  solution  of  all  the  great  questions  of  the 
world.  The  simple  truth  that  we  are  our  brother's 
keeper  acknowledged  by  mankind  would  be  an  easy 
method  of  settling  this  omnipresent  and  embittering 
war  between  labor  and  capital." 

"  A  method  the  world  has  been  slow  to  accept." 

"  In  one  sense,  perhaps,  but  as  we  view  the  long 
night  of  darkness  and  degradation  before  the  coming 
of  Christ,  we  can  only  marvel  at  the  progress  that  has 
been  made  in  less  than  two  thousand  years.  Some 
day  in  God's  great  harmonies  Ave  shall  hear  the  rhyth- 
mic heart-beats  of  an  altruistic  faith,  binding  the 
whole  world  together  in  a  common  brotherhood." 

**  And  you  are  doing  your  best  to  strike  a  note  in 
that  great  harmony  ?  " 


2o8  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

"With  Mr.  Lynn's  help,"  laughed  Margaret.  "He 
is  going  to  advise  me  how  to  assist  that  suffering  and 
unfortunate  woman  down-stairs." 

"Impossible!  He  can  only  be  the  humble  tool  in 
your  wiser  hands.  However,  I've  been  wise  enough 
to  think  she  ought  to  be  put  under  the  care  of  a  phy- 
sician. That  can  be  safely  managed  through  you,  as 
indeed  can  all  delicate  commissions." 

"  Thanks,"  said  Margaret.  "  I  always  try  to  put 
myself  in  the  sufferer's  place,  as  I  have  known  what 
it  was  to  need  help,  and  be  grateful  for  it." 

"  When  my  hour  of  tribulation  comes,  may  I  have 
just  such  a  ministering  angel!"  exclaimed  Herbert 
warmly. 

"  Tribulation  and  the  prosperous  Mr.  Lynn  are  a 
singular  and  almost  unlooked-for  conjunction." 

"  A  man  may  have  a  great  deal  and  yet  want  more. 
In  fact,  if  he  owns  the  earth  he  usually  wants  the  moon, 
or  something  equally  impossible." 

"  Is  that  one  of  your  longings  ?  " 

"No;  mine  is  more  sublunary,  if  you  will  permit  a 
pun  so  atrocious.  The  truth  is  there's  another  Galatea 
in  whose  marble  veins  I  should  like  to  see  the  warm 
blood  of  feeling  run.  My  presence  always  seems  to 
congeal  the  red  current  that  glows  for  others." 

"  You  speak  in  enigmas." 

"Just  now,  perhaps;  but  by-and-by  you  will  under- 
stand. By  the  way,  there  is  one  intense  longing  you 
can  gratify.  May  I  drop  in  some  time  to  one  of  those 
charming  '  evenings  '  Lizzette  and  Antoine  have  de- 
scribed to  m.e  ?  I  have  a  sincere  desire  to  consider 
myself  a  beneficiary." 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  209 

''  I  am  afraid  I  should  say  *  no,'  if  I  did  not  begin  to 
realize  a  little  the  earnestness  of  your  nature.  We 
are  sensitive  to  our  shortcomings." 

"An  equal  sensitiveness  inspires  me  with  the  desire 
to  find  a  motive  as  admirable  as  that  which  actuates 
your  little  coterie.  Besides — I  suppose  I  may  as  well 
be  honest,  since  you  will  be  sure  to  find  me  out — I 
play  the  violin  a  little  myself,  and  would  be  most 
happy  occasionally  to  supply  Antoine's  vacant  niche, 
provided  your  sister  could  be  prevailed  upon  to  ac- 
company me." 

A  new  light  dawned  upon  Margaret  as  she  watched 
the  boyish  blush  that  mounted  to  Herbert's  brow. 
''And  so  you  have  already  found  out  what  an  uncer- 
tain quantity  my  little  sister  is  ?  " 

"  As  regards  your  humble  servant,  she  has  been  a 
profound  certainty.  A  block  of  ice  could  not  have 
been  a  colder  reality,"  answered  Herbert  with  a  rueful 
smile. 

Margaret's  face  grew  suddenly  thoughtful,  but  after 
a  moment's  hesitation  she  said  bravely: 

"  I  believe  there  are  times  when  only  the  truth  should 
be  spoken  regardless  of  conventionality.  For  my  own 
part,  Mr.  Lynn,  I  like  you  exceedingly,  and  should 
gladly  welcome  you  to  our  little  circle;  but  my  little 
sister  is  young,  beautiful  as  you  know,  imaginative, 
sensitive,  and — well,  is  it  not  best  under  the  circum- 
stances, which  you  so  well  understand,  that  she  should 
continue  a  cold  reality  to  you  ?  " 

"No!"  exclaimed  Herbert  emphatically,  as  he 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  placed  a  hand  on  the  back  of 
14 


2IO  A   NEW    ARISTOCRACY. 

Margaret's  chair.  "  I  am  no  cowardly  trifler,  and  I 
have  an  honest  admiration  for  Elsie  that  has  a  right 
to  crave  its  legitimate  outlet.  I  ask  only  a  fair 
field." 

Glancing  up  at  the  earnest,  flushed  face,  Margaret 
sm.iled  as  she  rose  and  laid  her  hand  on  his.  "  You 
shall  have  it,"  she  said.  "  Bring  your  violin  and  be 
your  own  propitiation.  I  never  interfere  in  matters  of 
this  kind." 

Herbert  raised  Margaret's  hand  to  his  lips,  and  mur- 
muring something  wholly  unintelligible,  he  snatched 
his  hat  and  left  the  room.  Margaret  sat  long  buried 
in  thought  after  he  had  left  her.  Elsie's  doubts  and 
misgivings  in  no  way  troubled  her.  Love  in  her  eyes 
was  too  sacred  and  too  rare  to  ham.per  it  with  the 
chains  of  caste  or  clothe  it  in  false  conventionality. 
But  until  now  the  thought  of  love  and  Elsie  had  not 
come  to  her  except  in  the  vague  sometim.e  that  comes 
to  all  women.  Elsie  was  so  young,  so  inexperienced, 
yet,  strange  as  it  seemed,  so  wise.  She  had  looked 
apprehensively  upon  the  volatile  nature,  fearful  that 
its  buoyant  wings  would  be  sadly  singed  in  the  candle 
of  life.  Yet  by  Herbert's  own  confession  the  little 
maid  had  been  as  wise  in  her  demeanor  as  if  whole 
generations  of  elder  sisters  had  stood  sponsor  for  every 
utterance.  ''  I  am  glad,"  she  sighed  tremulously,  with 
that  sweet  enjoyment  of  love  which  all  women  have. 
**  I  could  not  be  better  pleased  if  the  selection  had 
been  my  own ;  but  T  mistrust  that  little  sister  of  mine 
will  lead  him  a  wild  dance  before  she  surrenders,  if  she 
ever  does.     There  are  graver  thoughts  in  that  young 


A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY.  211 

head  than   I   ever  dreamed  of.     But  all  I   can  say  is, 
God  speed  an  honest  love!  " 

An  hour  later  Margaret  was  on  the  street,  intent 
upon  a  purpose  which  had  been  gaining  strength  ever 
since  the  invalid,  Mrs.  Carson,  had  given  her  the  poem 
she  had  read  at  her  bedside.  There  seemed  to  Mar- 
garet to  be  too  much  merit  in  the  poem  to  forego  the 
effort  to  find  for  it,  not  only  publication,  but  pay. 
Margaret  had  become  strongly  possessed  of  the  prim^i- 
tive  idea  that  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire,  and 
that  merit  had  the  right  to  demand  recognition.  Her 
contact  with  life  had  so  far  been  so  simple  and  direct 
that  the  complexities  governing  m.an's  progress  had 
only  just  begun  to  confront  her.  It  v/as,  therefore, 
with  the  bravery  born  of  ignorance  that  she  entered 
several  editorial  sanctums  connected  with  the  various 
leading  papers  and  periodicals  of  the  great  city  and 
offered  the  poem  for  inspection.  The  contemptuous 
glances,  and  decided  snubs  she  received,  disturbed  her 
equanimity  rather  than  her  purpose;  although  if  the 
matter  had  been  a  purely  personal  one,  literary  am- 
bition would  have  met  instant  death  in  these  en- 
counters. But  Margaret's  strength  was  always  greater 
for  others  than  for  herself,  and  not  until  she  had  ex- 
hausted all  avenues  did  she  intend  to  turn  back.  Fi- 
nally in  the  eleventh  venture  she  encountered  an  editor 
who,  listening  to  her  story  and  becoming  interested, 
volunteered  the  information  that  the  poem  had  merit 
and  was  worthy  of  remuneration.  A  check  for  five 
dollars  gladdened  Margaret's  heart,  and  her  smiles  and 
expressions  of  gratitude  must  have  made  a  bit  of  sun- 


212  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

shine  in  the  soul  of  a  just  man.  Margaret  hurried 
home,  her  face  glowing  with  happiness,  and  hastening 
into  the  invalid's  room,  produced  the  check  with  infinite 
satisfaction.  There  was  no  answer,  but  a  pair  of  thin 
arms  reached  up  and  clasped  Margaret's  neck,  while 
sobs  and  tears  contended  for  the  mastery.  Margaret 
waited  until  the  storm  had  subsided  and  then  said 
gently:  "You  will  have  a  chance  now  to  turn  your 
talent  to  account." 

"  What  an  angel  you  are !  Sent  by  the  God  whom 
I  doubted  I     How  can  I  ever  repay  it  all  ?  " 

"  By  reawakening  a  slumbering  faith,  getting  well, 
and  working  cheerfully,"  and  with  a  kiss  upon  the  in- 
valid's agitated  lips,  Margaret  went  up  to  her  rooms. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY  213 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

One  evening,  a  week  after  Antoine's  departure  for 
the  hospital,  Elsie  sat  at  the  organ,  idly  picking  out 
the  melody  of  several  of  his  favorite  airs  and  dreamily 
wishing  the  lad  could  be  with  them  once  again.  Mar- 
garet was  busied  over  her  books,  and  Lizzette,  who 
was  with  them  for  the  night,  was  knitting  the  stocking 
that  always  grew  but  never  seemed  finished,  and  Gil- 
bert was  putting  some  decorative  touches  upon  a 
small  medicine  cabinet.  Suddenly  Herbert  Lynn  ap- 
peared in  the  open  doorway,  his  arms  filled  with  books 
and  a  violin  case  in  one  hand. 

Elsie  arose  from  her  seat  as  the  others  greeted  him, 
and  stood  with  her  slight  figure  as  erect  and  indignant 
as  her  mutinous  spirit  could  make  it.  Herbert  turned 
toward  her.  ''  I  am  here  by  permission  of  high  au- 
thority," he  laughed,  glancing  at  Margaret.  "  I  have 
no  apology  to  make  this  time." 

''  My  sister's  guests  are  always  welcome,"  said  Elsie 
icily,  as  she  sank  upon  the  piano  stool  and  industri- 
ously undertook  to  rearrange  several  sheets  of  dis- 
ordered music. 

Herbert  made  no  reply,  but  stood  composedly  watch- 
ing the  trembling-  fingers  and  the  swiftly-mounting 
blushes  on  the  fair  face. 

*' You  are  nervous,"  he  said  at  last.  ''Let  me  do 
that  for  you.     I  am  delightfully  calm." 


214  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

Sometning  in  the  exasperatingly  cool  tones  made 
Elsie  glance  up,  and  then  as  quickly  glance  down 
again. 

"  It  is  useless  to  keep  on  the  defensive  any  longer," 
Herbert  resumed  as  he  coolly  took  the  sheets  of 
music  from  her.     "  I've  come  to  beg  a  truce." 

'*  And  have  you  forgotten  all  I  said  ?  " 

"Not  altogether;  but  I  am  of  a  forgiving  disposi- 
tion." 

"  You  forgive  very  easily,  it  seems  to  me,"  said  Elsie 
haughtily. 

"  Sometimes,  and  one  of  these  times  is  when  a  spite- 
ful little  girl  says  things  she  doesn't  mean." 

Elsie  tried  hard  to  keep  a  sober  face,  but  Her- 
bert's good-nature  was  irresistible,  and  the  corners  of 
her  mouth  relaxed  in  a  smile  as  she  looked  up  and 
asked:  ''What  occult  wisdom  taught  you  she  didn't 
mean  them  ?  " 

"  The  science  of  physiognom.y,  if  there  is  such  a 
science.  A  face  that  is  all  sunshine  for  others  cannot 
surely  mean  to  keep  all  its  thunder-clouds  for  an  in- 
offensive young  man  like  me." 

"  Some  people  attract  lightning,"  exclaimed  Elsie 
mischievously. 

''  By  reason  of  superior  magnetism,  it  is  to  be  pre- 
sumed.    Thanks!" 

At  this  juncture  Lizzette  came  up  with  the  violin 
case  In  her  hand.  "  Herbeart,  zis  ees  ze  reminder  de 
mon  petit  Antoine.    Let  me  hear  ze  fiddle  speak  again." 

"  Willingly,  if  Miss  Elsie  will  accompany  me." 

Elsie  looked  up,  mutinous  still ;    but  meeting   Her- 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  21$ 

bert's  eyes,  defiance  gave  its  last  gasp  as  she  said  under 
her  breath:  ''You  are  an  arch  conspirator.  I  suppose 
there  is  nothing  left  for  me  but  submissiveness." 

Herbert's  blonde  head  bent  low  over  the  pile  of 
music  he  was  ostensibly  examining  as  he  whispered : 
'*  You  shall  see  how  generously  I  can  conspire.  Trust 
me  to  be  magnanimous." 

Elsie's  nimble  tongue  was  silent,  and  a  sudden  Avave 
of  intoxication  seemed  to  sway  her  back  and  forth  in 
a  rarefied  atmosphere  where  breathing  was  impossible. 
When  at  last  she  dared  to  glance  again  at  Herbert,  he 
was  tuning  his  violin  with  such  a  look  of  beatific  con- 
tentment on  his  face  that  pent-up  feeling,  on  the  peril- 
ous edge  of  a  tear,  seized  the  other  alternative  and 
burst  into  laughter.  With  instinctive  quickness  she 
dashed  into  a  noisy  jig  on  the  organ,  and  by  the  time 
she  dared  to  glance  apprehensively  around,  Herbert 
had  selected  the  piece  of  music  and  was  striking  its  key- 
note on  the  violin.  Elsie  played  very  badly  that  night, 
and  Herbert  was  several  times  obliged  to  point  out  little 
mistakes  and  make  corrections  with  all  the  gravity  of 
a  professional  music  master.  But  the  tumult  in  her 
veins  rose  higher  and  higher,  and  with  a  sudden  crash 
on  the  keys  the  music  came  to  a  stop.  Glancing  down 
at  the  perturbed  face,  Herbert  turned  to  the  others: 

"  My  violin  is  evidently  not  Antoine's  and  Miss 
Elsie  looks  tired.  Have  you  examined  the  new 
books.  Miss  Murchison  ?  There  is  one  on  sociology, 
by  Sir  Lyon  Playfair,  I  thought  might  interest  you. 
And  there  is  Henderson's  '  History  of  Music,'  the 
'  Journal  of  Marie  Bashkirtseff,' '  The  Three  Germanics,' 


2x6  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

and  two  or  three  newly-issued  volumes  of  poetry  by 
Meredith,  Lover,  and  others.  I  thought  before  I 
dipped  into  them  I  should  like  your  opinion." 

While  Margaret,  Lizzette,  Gilbert,  and  Herbert 
were  discussing  the  new  books,  Elsie  slipped  away,  too 
perturbed  to  do  anything  but  throw  herself  on  the  bed 
and  cry.  Just  why  she  cried  it  would  have  been  dififi- 
cult  for  her  to  tell.  But  she  did  not  try  to  tell;  she 
only  knew,  like  all  volcanic  natures,  that  safety  and 
reason  lay  in  a  copious  burst  of  tears.  Half  an  hour 
later  she  presented  herself  in  the  sitting-room,  her  old, 
calm,  smiling  self. 

"  Now  that  the  ice  is  broken  I  shall  hope  I  may 
come  often,"  said  Herbert  as  he  bade  them  good-night. 
And  saucy  Elsie  had  no  retort  ready. 

The  summer  wore  into  early  autumn  with  busy  days 
and  brightening  prospects  for  our  little  circle.  Antoine 
was  making  slow  but  evidently  sure  progress  at  the 
hospital,  and  was  hopeful  and  happy  at  the  Sunday 
receptions  of  the  friends  who  clustered  around  him. 
Lizzette  beamed  with  joy  and  gratitude  and  seemed 
to  have  thrown  discretion  to  the  winds  in  the  praises 
of  Herbert  which  she  constantly  chanted  in  Elsie's 
ears.  The  treaty  of  peace  to  which  Elsie  had  so  un- 
willingly committed  herself  had,  after  all,  been  a  very 
simple  affair.  Herbert  had  been  generous,  as  he 
promised,  and  beyond  occasional  evenings  together 
over  violin  and  organ,  at  which  Elsie  was  learning  to 
acquit  herself  with  greater  credit  than  on  their  first 
venture,  they  did  not  often  meet.  Contrary  to  her 
usual  custom,  Helen   Mason  had  not   closed  her  city 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  21/ 

home  for  the  summer.  Herbert,  much  to  her  chagrin, 
refused  to  seek  the  seashore,  and  with  wise  forethought, 
as  she  fancied,  she  filled  her  house  with  gay  com- 
pany. Among  the  guests  was  a  certain  Miss  Alice 
Houghton,  who,  an  orphan  and  the  sole  possessor  of 
great  wealth,  lived,  together  with  a  duenna  aunt,  at 
one  of  the  great  family  hotels  in  the  city.  She  was  a 
tall,  fine-looking,  well-bred  girl  of  twenty-three  or 
twenty-four.  Her  distinguishing  characteristic  was  an 
air  of  pronounced  weariness,  that  reminded  one  vividly 
of  Young's  "  Languid  Lady."  It  was  a  difficult  matter 
to  interest  her  in  anything,  yet  her  attention  once 
caught,  her  face  would  light  up  with  unusual  intelli- 
gence and  animation.  Herbert  at  first  regarded  her 
simply  as  an  exponent  of  the  system  of  purposeless 
education  which  is  bestowed  upon  the  average  society 
girl ;  but  after  several  weeks  of  acquaintance  he  be- 
came convinced  that  a  secret  grief  was  preying  upon 
her.  He  was  consequently  not  greatly  surprised  when 
he  found  her  one  morning  in  late  summer  in  the  draw- 
ing-room, Avith  a  ghastly  look  of  horror  on  her  face 
as  she  clutched  a  newspaper  and  read  the  head-lines 
concerning  a  sensational  suicide  of  a  fast  young  man 
about  town  in  one  of  the  gambling  hells  of  the  city. 

"My  husband!"  she  gasped,  pointing  to  the  head- 
lines and  then  lapsed  into  insensibility. 

Elsie  was  on  her  way  to  her  morning  conference  with 
her  mistress  when  she  encountered  Herbert,  pale  and 
distracted,  with  the  limp  burden  in  his  arms,  calling 
wildly  for  Helen.  Th'tre  was  no  time  for  explanations 
as  Helen  Mason  ran  quickly  down  the  stairs,  and  Elsie 


2l8  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

returned  to  her  work  with  a  clouded  face  and  defiant 
air  that  did  not  escape  Herbert's  notice.  The  story 
of  Alice  Houghton's  life  was  soon  told  to  the  two 
sympathetic  friends.  A  marriage,  secret  at  first  from 
mere  caprice,  but  afterward  guarded  because  of  shame, 
to  a  handsome  but  dissipated  and  entirely  character- 
less man  of  fashion,  who,  having  spent  his  own  and  a 
considerable  portion  of  his  wife's  fortune  at  the  gam^ 
bling  table,  had  deliberately  shot  himself  rather  than 
face  the  consequences  of  his  evil  deeds.  The  story 
never  became  known  beyond  the  three  or  four  sym- 
pathizers within  the  Mason  household,  and  the  death 
of  a  relative  furnished  ample  excuse  for  the  deep 
mourning  and  grief-stricken  air  with  which  the  young 
widow  again  faced  the  world.  Herbert  was  very  kind 
and  attentive  to  her  in  the  early  days  of  her  grief,  and 
in  consequence  his  sister  drew  some  exceedingly  flat- 
tering pictures  as  to  his  future. 

With  Margaret  the  summer  had  been  productive  of 
much  good.  The  little  leaven  of  her  kindly  nature 
and  generous  deeds  had  permeated  the  whole  tene- 
ment-house and  extended  even  beyond  it  in  sundry 
additions  to  her  Busy  Fingers  Club.  She  was  idolized 
by  the  children  of  the  neighborhood,  who  hailed  her 
as  the  patron  saint  of  all  their  little  schemes  and  am- 
bitions. Under  her  fostering  care  and  that  of  the 
physician  which  Herbert  had  ordered,  the  invalid, 
Mrs.  Carson,  was  slowly  gaining  her  health  and  some 
slight  encouragement  in  her  literary  ventures.  There 
was  a  cloud,  however,  hovering  in  Margaret's  sky. 
Gilbert,  who  had  already  reached  a  man's  stature,  had 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  219 

acquired  as  well  a  man's  independence,  and  had  taken 
to  absenting  himself  from  home  evenings,  much  to  the 
annoyance  of  both  sisters.  It  had  been  his  custom 
during  the  spring  and  summer  to  go  for  Elsie  and 
bring  her  home  for  the  night,  and  there  had  been  a 
substantial  progress  made  in  their  studies  in  conse- 
quence. Of  late,  however,  Elsie  had  found  herself 
dependent  for  escort  upon  the  good-natured  William, 
who  had  shown  himself  only  too  happy  to  be  of  use 
to  her,  and  had  grown  alarmingly  confidential  as  a 
result.  This  state  of  William's  mind  being  duly  im- 
parted to  Margaret,  she  had  resolved  to  forestall 
trouble  by  insisting  upon  Gilbert's  usual  attendance 
on  his  sister.  But  the  lad  was  sullen  and  unresponsive 
when  she  broached  the  subject,  and  when  night  came 
he  put  on  his  hat  and  went  away  without  a  word. 
Margaret  brooded  for  some  time  over  Gilbert's  chang-ed 
demeanor,  and  with  a  feeling  of  impending  trouble 
which  it  is  so  often  impossible  to  resist,  she  dressed 
herself  for  the  street  and  went  out,  resolved  to  dis- 
cover the  places  he  frequented  most.  Fortune  favored 
her,  for  at  Mrs.^  Carson's  door  she  learned  that  Gilbert 
and  Mr.  Carson  had  held  a  discussion  about  a  meeting 
of  some  kind  which  they  were  to  attend  that  evening 
at  Harmonic  Hall.  The  nature  of  the  meeting  the 
invalid  did  not  know,  but  she  imagined  it  was  semi- 
political  in  character,  as  she  had  found  that  her  hus- 
band had  become  interested  of  late  in  municipal  poli- 
tics. There  had  been  strange  mutterings  in  the  air 
for  some  time  among  the  inmates  of  the  tenement- 
house,  and  Margaret's  heart  instantly  took  'he  alarm. 


220  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

What  had  Gilbert,  a  minor,  to  do  with  municipal  poli- 
tics and  this  spirit  of  discontent  that  she  could  but 
notice  among  the  laborers  with  whom  she  lived  ?  The 
great  strife  between  labor  and  capital  had  never  come 
actively  home  to  Margaret.  Indeed,  so  simple  had 
seemed  its  solution  to  her  upon  the  broad  basis  of  broth- 
erly love  and  active  Christianity,  that  she  had  worked 
on  quietly,  hopefully,  in  the  firm  faith  that  she  was  only 
one  of  millions  of  like  factors  in  once  more  estab- 
lishing the  kingdom  of  Christ.  Like  one  who  watches 
the  battle  from  the  hill-top,  she  believed  the  contend- 
ing forces  were  only  seeking  their  way  up  to  the  clear 
sunshine.  It  was,  therefore,  with  something  like  con- 
sternation that  she  found  herself  among  the  disorderly 
crowd  in  the  hall.  Here  and  there  little  groups  of 
men  and  women  Avere  noisily  discussing  various  topics 
and  paying  only  occasional  attention  to  the  speaker, 
a  swarthy,  wild-eyed  woman,  who  was  shouting  in  a 
shrill,  rasping  voice  the  most  astounding  ideas  that 
had  ever  greeted  Margaret's  ears.  Drawn  by  curiosity 
as  well  as  interest,  she  quietly  worked  her  way  up  to 
a  position  near  the  platform  and  sank  into  a  seat  to 
listen. 

''  Talk  about  freedom,"  yelled  the  speaker,  waving 
her  long  thin  arms  like  a  revolving  windmill.  "  I  tell 
you  we  are  slaves — handcuffed,  manacled,  abject 
slaves."  This  assertion  brought  a  round  of  applause. 
"  Talk  about  the  great  American  eagle — it  is  only  a 
superannuated  old  crow  that  lets  its  blind  followers  go 
where  the  witches  dance  on  the  point  of  a  needle." 
This  witticism    provoked    a  loud   guffaw   of   approval 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  221 

from  the  crowd.  ''  I  tell  you,  men,  what  we  want  is  to 
preach  the  gospel  of  discontent.  We  want  every  one 
of  you,  all  thinking  people,  to  be  anarchists.  We  don't 
believe  in  statutory  law ;  we  don't  want  any  law  but 
natural  law." 

''Hear!  Hear!"  came  in  shrill  calls  from  various 
parts  of  the  room. 

"  But  you  say,"  resumed  the  speaker,  "  that  anarchy 
is  disreputable.  That  is  just  what  w^e  want  it  to  be. 
We  want  to  find  the  gospel  of  discontent  in  the  gut- 
ters. We  don't  want  to  be  reputable,  and  I  thank 
God  that  I  am  absolutely  disreputable.  We  leave  re- 
spectability for  the  Christian  capitalist,  the  slave-driver, 
the  monopolist.  Why,  a  man  cannot  be  a  Christian 
anarchist,  because  anarchy  is  only  of  the  earth.  The 
only  class  of  people  who  can  regulate  this  dismal  con- 
dition of  society,  at  which  so  many  are  just  now  trying 
their  hands,  are  the  anarchists.  Think  of  it :  the  tele- 
graphs in  this  country  are  owned  by  one  man,  the  rail- 
roads by  sixty  families,  and  into  the  hands  of  the  few 
is  fast  being  gathered  the  country's  wealth.  Imprac- 
ticable dreamers  propose  to  remedy  this  evil  by  mak- 
ing the  state  or  nation  responsible,  but  the  anarchist 
says  no,  he  doesn't  want  any  interference,  for  he  has 
had  too  much  of  it.  The  state  resorts  to  armed  force. 
If  we  want  liberty,  there  is  no  other  way  to  get  it  but 
to  do  as  the  state  does  and  resort  to  armed  force." 

The  speaker  sat  down  amid  a  great  wave  of  applause, 
and  Margaret  shrank  back  in  her  seat  with  her  cheeks 
burning  and  eyes  flashing  with  indignation.  A  man 
with  long  black  hair  and  ragged  beard  next  occupied 


222  A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY. 

the   platform,  and    held    forth   on   the   cruelty  of    the 
bloated  capitalists  and  a  monopolistic  press. 

"Why,  all  attempts  at  pacification,"  he  cried,  ''are 
dead  failures.  Monopolists  are  more  arrogant,  trades 
unions  more  bitter  than  ever.  '  Give  us  more  wages,* 
we  cry;  'We'll  give  you  less,'  they  say.  'We  don't 
want  to  work  so  many  hours  a  day,*  we  respond  ;  '  You 
shall  have  more,*  they  answer.  '  We  won't  work  under 
such  conditions,*  we  declare;  'Then  starve,'  they  hiss. 
Do  you  know  there  are  over  three  millions  of  working- 
men  who  are  crying  all  this  ?  And  the  capitalists 
ask:  'What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?'  We'll 
show  them  what  we'll  do  about  it.  Let  them  beware ! 
Let  them  remember  the  dark  days  of  the  French  Revo- 
lution, and  note  how  many  patrician  heads  went  under 
the  axe  because  the  rabble  like  us  — the  sans  culottes 
like  us,  if  you  please — went  crying  for  bread,  and  when 
they  couldn't  have  bread  they  cried  for  blood  and  had 
it.  Why,  men,  this  is  the  greatest  war  of  history.  It 
is  a  war  not  of  countries,  but  of  the  globe,  and  the  two 
great  forces,  the  very  rich  and  the  very  poor,  those 
bonded  slaves  of  an  arrogant  aristocracy,  are  closing 
in  upon  each  other.  As  yet  it  is  a  TDloodless  strife; 
but  let  them  beware,  I  say, 'let  them  beware!  This 
trouble  will  never  cry  itself  to  sleep.  There  are  too 
many  mighty  passions  surging  through  the  bosoms  of 
outraged  and  insulted  beings.  There  are  too  many 
hungry  wives  and  freezing  children.  From  the  Bastile 
to  the  portals  of  this  hall  stalks  a  long  line  of  men- 
acing ghosts,  who  w^ith  pointing  fingers  demand  that 
the  cause  for  which  they  died  shall  yet  be  made  tri- 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  223 

umphant.  Blind  is  he  who  cannot  see  that  the  edicts 
of  society  are  crushing  to  the  wall  the  helpless  toilers, 
the  unfortunate  women  and  innocent  children  of  this 
world.  Blind  is  he  who  looks  upon  the  cruelties  in- 
dorsed by  capital  without  rising  in  righteous  indigna- 
tion to  echo  the  cry  that  rings  along  the  line,  '  Down 
with  the  aristocracy!  '  It  is  a  lie  that  all  men  have  an 
equal  chance  in  this  w^orld ;  I  tell  you  the  competition 
is  unequal  and  capital  forces  the  issue.  Success  !  suc- 
cess!  is  the  Moloch  of  the  world's  worship,  and  into 
its  ravenous  maw  you  and  I  and  every  one  of  the 
toilers  feed  daily  the  writhing  bodies  of  wives  and  chil- 
dren. It  is  feasting  on  the  putrid  carcasses  that  are 
crushed  under  its  triumphal  car.  And  all  the  while 
there  is  wealth  enough  in  this  world  for  every  man  to 
have  and  to  spare.  I  tell  you,  fellow-mortals,  the 
torch  and  the  shotgun,  the  bomb  and  the  bludgeon, 
are  as  much  for  the  toiler  as  the  blue-coated  minions 
of  the  law." 

The  man  took  his  seat  on  the  rear  of  the  platform 
amid  the  wildest  cheers,  and  Margaret  watched  the 
eagle-like  face  and  the  trembling,  attenuated  form  with 
more  than  usual  interest.  There  had  been  many 
grains  of  truth  in  his  wild  harangue,  and  they  had 
inspired  her  conservative  breast  with  an  enthusias- 
tic desire  to  behold  the  wide  gulf,  between  the  two 
great  opposing  forces  of  the  world,  narrowed  down  to 
the  line  of  arbitration  and  adjustment,  to  which  all 
such  questions  must  finally  come.  But  she  shuddered 
with  horror  at  the  sanguinary  battle  which  the  speaker's 
inflammatory  words  had  conjured.     A  second  French 


224  A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY. 

revolution,  intolerably  bitterer,  bloodier,  more  wide- 
spread than  its  prototype!  God  forbid!  There  was 
just  then  a  call  from  the  chairman  for  volunteer  speak- 
ers, and  Margaret's  eyes  became  stony  in  their  wonder 
and  terror,  as  she  saw  Gilbert  rise  from  his  seat  and 
advance  to  the  front  of  the  platform.  Tall,  lithe,  like 
a  young  sapling,  with  a  wealth  of  dark  hair  pushed 
back  from  a  high,  straight  brow,  piercing  dark  eyes,  a 
square,  firmly-set  mouth  and  chin,  and  fine  thin  nos- 
trils expanding  with  the  fire  of  enthusiasm,  he  stood 
before  them  all.  For  the  first  time  in  her  life  Mar- 
garet realized  the  singular  beauty  and  magnetism  of 
the  boy's  presence.  To  her  he  had  been  always  only 
Gilbert,  to  be  watched  over  and  taken  care  of  with 
a  mother's  unfailing  forethought.  Now  she  saw,  with 
a  bitter  wTenching  of  her  heart-strings,  that  the 
chrysalis  had  burst  and  her  lad  had  gone  away  for- 
ever. Before  her  stood  the  man  Gilbert,  on  whose 
utterances  she  hung  in  breathless  apprehension.  There 
was  something  almost  wonderful  in  the  boy's  self-pos. 
session  as  he  stood  and  gazed  the  noisy  crowd  into 
curious  silence. 

"  Friends  and  brother  toilers,  "  he  began  in  a  rich, 
sonorous  voice  that  filled  the  hall.  "  You  have  called 
for  volunteer  talks,  and  although  I  am  not  yet  fully 
come  to  man's  estate,  the  impulse  to  speak  is  too 
strong  to  be  resisted.  It  is  time  that  something  was 
done  to  lift  this  burden  under  which  we  are  groaning, 
and  yet  it  is  the  old,  old  question  that  for  thousands  of 
years  before  Christ  oppressed  the  bondsmen  of  the 
earth.      How    long,   O    Lord,    how    long,   before    this 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  22 5 

world  shall  see  the  fruition  of  the  mighty  labors  of  the 
millions  who  have  gone  clown  to  death  for  the  good  of 
their  brothers  ?  How  long  before  vengeance  shall 
overtake  the  insatiable  greed  of  capital,  which  has  no 
more  care  for  the  toiler  in  its  grasp  than  the  tiger  in 
the  jungle  for  the  man  he  has  smitten  with  his  paw  ? 
What  is  it  to  capital  that  labor  goes  unshod,  to  the 
well-fed  gourmand  that  the  slave  who  serves  him  is 
starving  for  the  crust  he  despises  ?  What  does  the 
capitalist  care  for  the  wails  of  woe  that  go  up  from 
thousands  of  infantile  throats,  for  the  shiverings  of  the 
naked  wretches  at  his  door,  so  that  piled  higher  and 
higher  in  his  safes  he  sees  the  gold  these  wretched 
toilers  have  wrested  from  the  mighty  bowels  of  the 
earth  ?  Who  cares  for  the  wretched  twenty-four  thou- 
sand souls  that  live  in  one  precinct  in  this  great  and 
wealth-rolling  city,  within  a  compass  of  two  small 
blocks  ?  Who  cares  for  the  nobodies  that  live  in  hovels 
where  the  water  from  the  street  pours  in  on  the  floors, 
and  where  sixty  or  seventy  people  live  in  eight  or  ten 
rooms  and  exhibit  the  morality  of  the  dogs  they  repre- 
sent ?  What  millionaire  philanthropist  goes  down  into 
his  pocket  to  pay  his  men  living  wages,  so  that  the 
poverty  which  shames  old-country  degradation  need 
not  be  re-enacted  here  ?  Where  is  the  churchman  who, 
giving  largely  to  conspicuous  charities,  would  be  will- 
ing to  turn  that  charity  into  specific  help  in  business  to 
the  man  or  men  who  do  his  bidding  ?  It  is  only  a  few 
years  back  that  the  *  boss '  worked  at  the  same  bench 
with  his  men.  Now  this  is  all  changed.  Now  he  has 
his  elegant  office,  his  carriage,  his  fine  attire;  but  the 
15 


220  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

workmen  show  no  such  advance  in  prosperity.  They 
work  for  even  less  wages,  wear  the  same  cheap  cloth- 
ing, and  toil  just  as  many  hours  as  when  they  and  the 
'  boss '  were  co-workers.  What  has  wrought  this  change  ? 
What  has  made  these  conditions  possible  ?  I  will  tell 
you.  It  is  governmental  aid.  It  is  because  the  gov- 
ernment has  fostered  the  schemes  of  the  rich  man  and 
made  him  a  ward  of  the  nation.  But  it  is  unjust,  and 
a  relic  of  the  old  feudality  that  the  government  should 
recognize  one  son  to  the  exclusion  of  the  others  equally 
well-born,  and  equally  deserving.  On  this  principle, 
therefore,  we  demand  that  we  be  made  wards  of  the 
nation.  We  demand  a  distributive  justice,  by  pacific 
means  if  possible,  and  if  not,  then  by  a  retributive  jus- 
tice, by  force  of  arms " 

"Gilbert!     Gilbert!" 

A  hand  laid  on  the  lad's  shoulder  caused  him  to 
turn  in  wonder  and  confusion  to  meet  Margaret's 
pleading  face  and  terror-stricken  eyes. 

"You  are  wrong,  Gilbert,"  she  cried  earnestly. 
"Wrong!  wrong!  You  must  not  incite  to  violence. 
Just  see  what  turbulent  elements  are  before  you !  " 

There  had  come  an  instant  hush  with  her  appear- 
ance on  the  platform ;  men  and  women  had  risen  to 
their  feet  and  were  peering  curiously  at  the  two. 
Flushed,  trembling,  intoxicated  wi  h  enthusiasm,  Gil- 
bert cried :  "  But  the  terrible  wrongs  of  the  poor!  You 
know  what  they  are — you  who  toil  for  a  daily  pittance ! 
They  must  be  avenged  !  " 

"  But  not  in  the  way  you  indicate.  Not  by  blood- 
shed or  violence.  See!  we  are  attracting  attention! 
Will  you  let  me  speak  for  you  ?  " 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  22/ 

For  a  moment  resentment  gleamed  in  Gilbert's  eyes, 
and  then,  as  he  glanced  at  Margaret's  uplifted  earnest 
face,  he  answered :  "  Yes,  correct  me  if  I  am  wrong. 
God  speed  you  !  " 

Gilbert  sank  back  into  a  chair,  his  eyes  intently  fixed 
upon  his  sister's  face  as  she  advanced  to  the  front  of 
the  platform  and  stood  looking  out  upon  the  sea  of 
wondering  faces. 

''  Friends,"  she  began  in  a  low  voice,  "  I  have  a 
story  to  tell  you.  The  lad  who  has  just  addressed  you 
is  my  brother.  For  seven  years  I  have  been  mother, 
counsellor,  friend  to  him.  I  promised  his  dying  father 
to  watch  over  him  with  unremitting  vigilance  until  his 
feet  should  be  firmly  set  in  the  paths  of  upright  man- 
hood. That  father  was  a  man  who  believed  in  and 
practiced  the  doctrine  of  the  universal  brotherhood  of 
man.  He  recognized  not  that  all  men  are  created 
equal  mentally  and  physically,  for  that  is  a  manifest 
absurdity,  but  that  there  is  a  principle  underneath  all 
conditions  of  society  calling  for  the  respect,  venera- 
tion, and  love  of  man  as  man.  We  must  respect  hu- 
manity in  all  its  phases,  and  there  is  no  right,  divine 
or  earthly,  that  permits  us  to  cripple  it,  enslave  it,  or 
destroy  it.  This  idea  was  one  of  his  ardent  beliefs; 
but  it  would  have  cut  his  gentle  heart  to  the  quick  to 
know  that  his  son  would  ever  be  misled  into  uttering 
words  that  could  in  any  way  incite  to  violence  or 
wrong-doing.  I  have  listened  to-night  to  words  that 
made  my  heart  bleed;  not  only  for  the  evils  afflicting 
labor,  not  only  for  the  misguided  ideas  of  the  so-called 
upper  classes,  but  for  the  deeper  wrongs  you  are  in- 
flicting on  yourselves." 


228  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

A  stir  among  the  audience  and  a  few  hisses  for  a 
moment  disturbed  Margaret's  equanimity,  but  gather- 
ing heart  again  she  went  on  in  a  voice  of  deep  and 
commanding  earnestness:  "Nay!  hear  me  out.  I 
premise  here  that  I  am  not  against  you ;  indeed,  I  am 
one  of  you.  I  toil  for  my  daily  bread,  and  I  receive 
but  a  pittance  for  my  work.  I  take  slop-work  from 
the  factories,  and  make  men's  shirts  for  forty-five  cents 
per  dozen,  and  men's  overalls  for  fifty  cents  per  dozen 
pairs.  So  you  see  I  know  what  labor  has  to  contend 
with." 

Shouts  of  "You're  a  good  one!  "  "Goon!"  encour- 
aged the  increasing  tide  of  thought  that  surged  to  her 
lips.  She  stood  before  them  pale,  earnest,  like  a 
prophet,  and  forgetting  time,  self,  place,  she  swept  the 
now  listening  throng  with  the  full  force  of  the  unselfish 
convictions  which  had  made  her  mistress  of  herself  and 
untoward  circumstance. 

"  Once  more  I  say  to  you,  O  my  brothers  and  sis- 
ters, you  are  wrong,  and  I  repeat  it  with  the  facts  of 
history  as  a  bulwark  of  defence.  Let  us  go  back  a 
little  to  the  dim  days  of  which  we  catch  but  faint 
shadows,  two  thousand  years  and  more  before  the 
Christian  era,  when  there  were  but  two  classes  of  men, 
feudal  lords  and  bondsmen.  Let  us  trace  up  through 
the  freedom  given  the  slaves  under  Moses,  fourteen 
hundred  years  before  Christ,  and  through  all  the 
struggles  of  the  toiler  up  to  the  present  day,  the  re- 
sults of  violent  uprisings  of  brute  force.  History  gives 
but  two  evidences  where  such  uprisings  on  the  part  of 
labor's  slaves  were  not  terribl)-  disastrous  to  the  insur- 


A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY 


229 


gents.     Thousands  of  years   have  passed  away,   men 
have  fought  with  the  desperation   of  tigers  for  their 
rights,  and  still  these  rights  are  in  a  measure  denied, 
and  the  millennium  of  labor  is  not  yet  in  sight.     You 
may  strike  the  torch  to  the  factory,  aim  the  shot-gun 
at  your  fellow-workman   because  he  refuses  to  listen 
to  your  dictation,  put  your  bombs  on  railroad  tracks 
before  the   midnight   express,  leave  the  ship  without 
sailors  or  the  printing  press  without  workers,  because 
any  or  all  of  these  are  not   conducted  with  a  true  re- 
gard for  mutual  welfare,  and  you  will  only  find  your- 
selves still  deeper  in  the  mire  ®f  dissatisfaction  and 
wrong.     You  cripple  your  own  resources  and  injure 
your  own  prospects  when  you   preach  the  doctrine  of 
physical  force.     Leave  the  development  of  that  doc- 
trine to  the  brute  whose  only  resource  it  is,  and  lift 
yourselves  up  to  the   higher   plane   where   exists  the 
reason  of  man.     But  you  are  no  doubt  asking  where 
that  reason  must  begin.     Back  of  all  sophistries,  back 
of  all  calculation,  on  that  primitive  plane  of  the  newly 
awakened— the  conscience!     This,  in  the  age  of  intri- 
cate  reasoning  and  perplexing  sophistries,  may  seem 
to  you  but  the  utterance  of  a  sim^ple-minded  woman; 
but  history  proves,  through  experience,  that  the  great 
and  seemingly  complex  problems  of  the  day  never  can 
be  and  never  will  be  solved  on  any  other  basis.     It 
was  not  indeed  until  the  gentle  Nazarene  walked  the 
earth  that  its  toilers  began  to  grope  upward  toward 
the  light  of   reason  and  conscience.     He  it  was  who 
first  took  the  taint  from  the  grimy  hand  of  the  worker; 
He  it  is  who  ought  to-day  to  be  the  sole  advocate  and 


230  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

mediator  in  all  your  wrongs  and  suffering.  I  am  not 
talking  to  you  of  the  religion  that  the  occupants  of 
velvet  pulpits  preach  to  the  occupants  of  velvet  pews, 
nor  of  the  Christianity,  so  called,  that  is  reserved  for 
the  rich  man  who  builds  churches  where  he  and  his 
class  may  worship  in  unsullied  seclusion  ;  but  of  that 
fundamental  principle  which  led  the  Carpenter  of  Naza- 
reth to  render  absolute  justice  to  all  men  and  which 
prompted  the  good  Samaritan  to  do  a  generous  deed 
to  his  fallen  neighbor.  Yes,  you  say  all  this  would  do 
very  well  if  men  could  be  made  over  on  a  higher  basis; 
but  they' are  greedy,  avaricious,  and  prompted  more 
by  self-interest  than  brotherly  love.  True;  but  there 
is  always  the  acorn  before  there  is  the  oak.  Social  re- 
forms must  begin  with  the  individual.  In  order  to 
have  an  upright  community  it  must  be  largely  com- 
posed of  upright  individuals,  and  if  every  man  reformed 
himself  the  proposition  of  a  reformed  society  would 
be  of  very  simple  solution.  It  is  wonderful  indeed 
how  the  little  leaven  leavens  the  whole  lump.  Won- 
derful how  the  gulf  between  classes  is  already  being 
widened  by  these  injudicious  threats  of  violence.  Let 
us  beware,  then,  of  incendiary  words !  We  are  all  of 
us,  Dives  and  Lazarus  alike,  striving  for  the  same  goal ; 
we  would  all  be  rich,  prosperous,  happy  if  we  could. 
We  are  indignant  because  Dives  gets  in  our  way  and 
hinders  our  advancement,  when  he  ought,  by  all  the 
laws  of  good-fellowship,  to  give  us  fair  play  and  equal 
chances.  But  when  Ave  as  Lazarus,  by  a  fortunate 
conjunction  of  circumstances,  come  at  last  to  Dives' 
importance,  how  is  it  that  we  take  the  same    mean 


A    NEW    AklsroCRACY.  23 1 

advantage  of  some  less  capable  or  lucky  mortal  ?  Ah, 
my  friends,  until  we  learn  tliat  all  these  great  problems 
lie  partially  at  least  within  ourselves,  and,  like  Atlas, 
are  willing  to  bear  the  world  on  our  shoulders,  we 
shall  never 'gain  the  object  we  are  seeking.  In  the 
conscience  of  every  individual  lies  the  hope  of  the 
world's  progress.  Let  us  seek,  therefore,  to  cultivate 
that  light  within  our  own  breasts,  so  that,  feeble  ray 
though  it  may  be,  it  shall  illumine  the  pathway  of 
some  weaker  brother  and  help  him  toward  the  diviner 
light  of  the  gentle  Nazarene.  I  protest  against  the 
indiscriminate  and  wordy  assaults  upon  rich  men. 
Not  alone  in  the  poor  man's  breast  are  all  the  virtues. 
Much  of  the  poverty  of  the  world  is  the  fault  of  the 
individual.  Natural  thrift  and  industry  have  their 
reward  even  in  the  present  untoward  industrial  condi- 
tions. You  cannot  smoke  away,  and  drink  up  your 
income,  and  justly  blame  the  bloated  capitalist  who 
employs  you  if  your  children  are  shoeless  and  the 
table  stands  empty.  But  you  can  use  your  reason, 
you  can  be  thrifty,  careful,  and  educate  yourselves  on 
the  side  of  conscience  and  humanity.  I  look  upon 
this  talk  of  reform  which  is  in  the  air  as  excellent  for 
the  great  cause  of"  universal  brotherhood.  This  is  the 
tendency  of  the  times;  the  cardinal  truth  underlying 
the  welfare  of  the  w^orld.  Capital  is  identical  in 
interest  with  us,  and  must  recognize  sooner  or  later 
the  trite  truth  that  we  are  only  the  fulfilment  and 
complement  of  each  other.  Let  us  beware,  then,  my 
friends,  how  we  antagonize  those  wdiose  help  we  need. 
Let  us  make  capital  feel,  by  reason  of  our  foresight, 


232  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

our  fiaeiity,  our  judgment,  our  generosity,  that  it 
cannot  afford  to  ignore  our  rights  and  must  open  wide 
the  doors  to  human  progress  or  fall  a  victim  to  its 
own  inertia.  With  you  I  believe  in  organization; 
organization  upheld  by,  and  upholding,  the  rights 
of  the  people,  irrespective  of  class;  organization 
prompted  by  the  still  small  voice  of  conscience,  which 
abridges  no  man's  freedom  while  seeking  its  own.  In 
this  way  only  can  your  wrongs  and  mine  be  righted. 
But  before  we  mend  the  steps  of  those  who  oppress 
us,  let  us  as  individuals  sweep  the  inner  chambers  of 
the  heart,  and  garnish  them  anew  for  the  long-waited 
guest  of  universal  justice." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  23, 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

The  night  of  Margaret's  meeting  with  the  anar- 
chists was  an  eventful  one  for  the  three  members  of  the 
Murchison  family.  Elsie,  tired  of  waiting  for  Gilbert's 
appearance,  and  strenuous  in  her  desire  to  spend  her 
nights  at  home,  had  been  again  compelled  to  ask  Wil- 
liam's escort,  a  fact  which  raised  the  spirits  of  the 
mercurial  young  Irishman  to  a  point  of  emphatic  self- 
gratulation.  He  felt  sure,  to  use  his  own  phraseology, 
that  "  Elsie  was  getting  soft  on  him,"  and  while  prepar- 
ing him.self  for  the  walk  he  resolved  to  put  into  defi- 
nite shape  his  growing  fondness  for  her.  It  so  hap- 
pened that  when  he  and  Elsie  left  the  area  door,  Her- 
bert Lynn,  violin  case  in  hand,  walked  down  the  front 
steps  of  the  Mason  mansion  and  leisurely  followed 
them  up  the  street.  As  William  possessed  the  native 
wat  of  his  race,  together  with  an  abundant  fund  of  good- 
humor,  Elsie's  laugh  was  frequent  at  the  droll  remarks 
and  anecdotes  he  poured  into  her  ear.  This  only  in- 
creased the  self -elation  with  which  he  viewed  his  pros- 
pects, but  lacking  the  finesse  of  language  wherewith 
to  proclaim  his  passion,  he  allowed  the  precious  mo- 
ments to  slip  by,  until,  having  reached  the  dimly-lighted 
entrance  to  Elsie's  home,  he  felt  that  decisive  action 
alone  could  serve  his  purpose. 

"  Good-night,  and  thank  you,"  said  Elsie  as  they 
stepped  within  the  narrow  hall. 


234  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"  Not  so  fast,"  he  cried,  clutching  at  Elsie's  dress 
and  detaining  her.     "  I  must  be  better  paid." 

''  To  be  sure,"  answered  Elsie,  reaching  into  the 
depths  of  a  woman's  long  pocket  and  bringing  her 
purse  to  view.     "  How  careless  I  am." 

"  No,  you  don't!  Put  that  pocket-book  up.  Sure 
an'  this  is  what  I  mean,"  and  grasping  Elsie  round  the 
waist  he  strove  to  imprint  a  kiss  upon  her  lips. 

''Let  me  go!  Let  me  go!"  cried  frightened  and 
struggling  Elsie. 

"Sure  an'  I'll  not,  then!  I'll  jest  have  a  kiss  and 
maybe  more  from  the  swate  girl  of  my  heart,"  and  his 
strong  arms  were  just  about  to  bring  the  flushed  and 
frightened  face  within  range  of  his  lips,  when  a  firm 
hand  clutched  his  coat  collar  and  sent  him  spinning 
into  the  street.  Glancing  up  he  met  the  indignant 
eyes  of  Herbert  Lynn. 

"  It  isn't  a  very  safe  thing,  young  man,  for  you  to 

insult  ladies  in  this  manner,  and  you  may  congratulate 

yourself  on  getting  off  with  scant  justice.     The  best 

.   thing  you  can  do  is  to  go  home  and  reform  some  of 

your  free-and-easy  habits." 

William  shuffled  off  maddened  and  revengeful. 
''Ah,  but  I'll  fix  him  and  the  girl  too.  Sure  and  the 
high  hand  isn't  always  for  the  mighty  millionaire. 
And  it's  him,  is  it,  that's  stealing  my  girl's  heart  away  ? 
Well,  then,  an'  I'll  'umble  'em,  sure.  I'm  after  thinking 
the  mistress  with  her  fine  airs  will  not  be  as  swate  as 
the  summer  when  she  finds  her  brother  is  comin'  it 
asy  over  the  purty  cook." 

Elsie,  released  from  William's  grasp,  darted  up  the 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  235 

stairs,  but  half-way  up  the  first  flight  she  sank  down  in 
fright  and  exhaustion.  Springing  up  two  steps  at  a 
time,  Herbert  followed  and  bent  over  her.  ''Elsie! 
Elsie  !  "  he  cried, ''  what  is  it  ?  Are  you  faint  ?  Here, 
let  me  steady  you,"  and  with  the  same  audacity  which 
he  had  indignantly  rebuked  in  William,  he  slipped 
an  arm  round  Elsie's  waist  and  endeavored  to  lift 
her  up. 

"  I  don't  need  any  help,"  she  said,  struggling  to  her 
feet  and  making  frantic  efforts  to  free  herself  from  tlie 
detaining  arm.  ''  I  can  go  alone  a  good  deal  better 
Please  take  your  arm  away." 

"  No,  thank  you  ;  it  is  quite  too  comfortable,"  replier 
Herbert  composedly. 

''And  succeeds  in  making  me  very  uncomfortable. 
I  entreat  you  to  release  me."  Elsie  glanced  up  into 
a  pair  of  blue  eyes,  in  whose  depths  lay  a  light  so 
warm  and  tender,  that  she  staggered  dizzily  against 
the  wall  when  Herbert's  encircling  arm  was  removed. 

"  There,  I  knew  you  couldn't  go  alone.  Now  I  insist 
upon  being  permitted  to  help  you  up  the  stairs.  I 
therefore  offer  you,  in  the  most  decorous  manner  pos- 
sible, the  despised  and  rejected  arm." 

Herbert  stood  before  her  w^ith  crooked  elbow  and 
attitude  so  ludicrously  stiff,  that  in  the  laugh  which 
rose  to  her  lips  the  constraint  of  the  situation  passed 
away,  and  she  not  only  accepted  the  arm,  but  made 
no  remonstrance  when,  before  the  third  flight  had  been 
reached,  the  despised  member,  by  some  legerdermain 
best  known  to  lovers  perhaps,  had  been  restored  to  its 
original  offensive  position.     It  still  lay  supine  and  sat- 


236  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY, 

isfied  around  the  slender  waist  when  the  two  reached 
Margaret's  door  and  found  it  locked. 

'*  Here's  a  go !  "  exclaimed  Herbert  slangily. 

**  No,"  said  Elsie,  attempting  to  remove  his  arm,  '*  it 
seems  to  be  a  stay!  " 

Herbert  caught  at  the  word  instantly,  even  while 
his  laugh  echoed  along  the  corridor.  "A  stay!"  he 
echoed,  tightening  his  grasp.     "  Elsie,  darling " 

No  one  will  know  quite  just  how  it  happened,  but 
drawn  by  an  overmastering  impulse,  he  drew  the  dark 
head  to  his  breast  and  pressed  a  fervent  kiss  upon,  I 
grieve  to  state,  a  pair  of  unresisting  lips. 

*' For  shame!"  cried  Elsie  when  she  found  breath. 
*'A  second  William.  Young  man,  go  and  reform  some 
of  your  free-and-easy  habits!  You're  infinitely  more 
cruel  than  he,  because  you  know  better.  I  am  ashamed, 
indignant,  heart-broken,"  and  Elsie  burst  into  tears. 

*'  My  darling,"  cried  Herbert  for  the  second  time, 
as  he  prepared  to  do  penance  by  repeating  the  crime 
of  which  he  was  accused,  ''you  may  be  just  as  indig- 
nant as  you  choose  so  that  indignation  does  not  take 
you  away  from  me.  Here,  take  your  kiss  back  again ! 
I  am  perfectly  willing  to  return  the  jewel  I  stole,"  and 
grasping  the  flushed  face  in  both  hands,  he  held  it  in  a 
vise-like  grip  while  he  bestowed  upon  the  ripe  lips  the 
principal  with  usurious  interest.  There  was  no  time 
for  protest  or  further  explanation.  There  was  some 
one  coming  up  the  stairs,  and  it  was  a  hurried  assump- 
tion of  composure  that  greeted  Margaret  and  Gilbert 
as  they  reached  their  door. 

"We  have   been   waiting   for   you,"  cried   Herbert, 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  237 

adding  audaciously,  "  It  seemed  to  Miss  Elsie,  I've  no 
doubt,  as  if  you  never  would  come." 

"  Margaret,  dear,"  exclaimed  Elsie,  '^  how  pale  you 
are!     What  has  happened  ?  " 

**  Come  in  and  I  will  tell  you,"  wearily  ansv^ered 
Margaret  as  she  unlocked  the  door. 

"As  it  is  late,"  said  Herbert  hesitatingly,  "  with  your 
permission  I  will  leave  my  violin  here  and  come  for 
our  music  to-morrow  evening.     Good-night." 

Elsie  could  not  raise  her  eyes  to  his,  such  a  tumult 
of  wounded  feeling,  love,  shame,  and  regret  surged 
through  her  breast,  and  Herbert  was  obliged  to  de- 
part without  the  glance  he  coveted.  Elsie  listened  to 
his  merry  whistle  as  he  ran  down  the  stairs,  and  cow- 
ered, shame-faced  and  despairing,  in  the  shadow  of 
the  window  curtain.  How  weak  she  had  been !  She 
had  struggled  so  hard  not  to  notice  him,  not  to 
think  of  him,  and  all  the  time  the  victim  of  a  re- 
lentless fate,  had  at  last  yielded  to  his  kiss  and  let  him 
see  she  had  given  her  love  unasked !  What  a  state  of 
moral  degradation  she  had  reached!  How  Margaret 
would  despise  her  if  she  knew  it!  How  everybody 
with  any  fine  moral  sense  would  be  contaminated 
with  her  presence  if  it  was  known  how  really  bad 
she  was ! 

Sleep  did  not  visit  the  perturbed  brain  that  night. 
In  dry-eyed  misery  she  lay  through  the  long  hours  of 
darkness  by  Margaret's  side,  and  when  at  the  first 
break  of  dawn  she  returned  to  her  work,  she  carried  a 
pale,  conscience-stricken  face.  The  other  servants 
eyed  her  curiously,  giving  her'  already  crushed  spirit 


238  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

unmistakable  evidence  that  William  had  heralded  the 
evening's  adventure.  It  was  with  lagging  footsteps 
and  a  colorless  face  that  she  dragged  through  her 
morning's  duties,  and  finally  mounted  the  stairs  to  her 
usual  conference  with  her  mistress. 

Mrs.  Mason  was  alone  when  Elsie  entered  the  morn- 
ing-room, but  she  did  not  look  up.  She  was  appar- 
ently busied  over  a  small  account-book,  in  which,  with 
the  gold  pencil  attached  to  it,  she  now  and  then  jotted 
down  figures  or  memoranda.  The  coals  in  the  grate 
glowed  warmly;  the  mocking-bird  in  his  gilded  cage 
chirped  cheerily;  the  flowers  and  potted  plants  in  the 
windows  seemed  to  smile  a  welcome  to  the  disheart- 
ened girl,  but  the  fair  mistress  had  no  greeting  for  her. 
Elsie  waited  some  moments,  and  then,  seeing  that  Mrs. 
Mason  was  purposely  silent,  she  asked,  but  with  a  note 
of  despondency  in  her  voice  that  was  only  too  appar- 
ent, *'  What  orders,  Mrs.  Mason,  have  you  for  me  this 
morning  ?  " 

"  Only  one,"  replied  the  lady,  for  the  first  time  turn- 
ing a  darkened  face  upon  Elsie.  "  Take  this  envelope, 
containing  your  week's  wages,  and  leave  my  house  at 
once.     I  have  no  further  need  of  your  services." 

The  room  grew  so  dark  to  Elsie  that  she  reeled  and 
clutched  at  the  door-post.  Mrs.  Mason  watched  her, 
secretly  glad  to  see  the  shaft  strike  home. 

"  Will  you  tell  me  why  you  dismiss  me  ?  "  asked  Elsie 
faintly. 

"Why?  How  innocent  you  are!  You  know  very 
well  why  I  will  not  keep  such  a  dissembler  in  my  house. 
Attempting  to   deceive  me  with   your  assumption  of 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  239 

flawless  honor,  and  then  using  all  your  arts  and  graces 
to  ensnare  the  fancy  of  my  brother,  who " 

''Stop!  "  cried  Elsie,  all  her  strength  returning  un- 
der the  sting  of  Mrs.  Mason's  words,  and  with  indigna- 
tion firing  voice  and  attitude.  "  You  make  unjust 
accusations.  I  never  have  deceived  you  in  any  partic- 
ular. I  never  sought  to  ensnare  the  fancy  of  your 
brother.  Instead,  I  have  begged  him  to  let  me  alone. 
I  told  him  I  did  not  want  his  acquaintance,  and  I  re- 
peat it  to  you,  his  proud  and  aristocratic  sister.  I 
have  my  own  life  to  live  irrespective  of  your  creeds 
and  caste,  and  I  have  endeavored  to  keep  both  of  you 
at  arm's-length." 

"You  are  as  brazen  as  the  generality  of  your  class. 
It  is  useless  to  attempt  any  justification.  The  fact 
remains  that  you  have  accepted  the  attentions  of  a 
man  infinitely  above  you  in  station,  good-breeding, 
blood " 

"  I  deny  i't !  Neither  in  blood  nor  breeding  are  you 
any  better  than  the  girl  you  despise.  In  station— you 
bu-t  emphasize  the  arrogance  of  your  nature  and  stand- 
ing when  you  attempt  to  herp  unmerited  abuse  upon 
one  whom  you  know  to  be  defenceless  ;  a  thing  which 
'  E'lsie  the  cook  '  would  scorn  to  do." 

"You  insolent  thing!  Leave  the  room  at  once,  and 
if  you  ever  dare  to  speak  to  my  brother  again.  Til  pub- 
lish you  from  one  end  of  the  city  to  the  other,  and 
then  we'll  see  whether  '  Elsie  the  cook  '  will  continue 
to  flaunt  her  good  breeding  in  the  face  of  her  betters." 

The  hot  blood-surged  to  Elsie's  face  until  the  pur- 
ple veins  threatened  to  burst.  "Have  no  fear!"  she 
cried.     "  I  despise " 


240  A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY. 

At  that  moment  the  door  opened  and  Herbert  en- 
tered the  room.  He  glanced  at  the  flushed  faces  and 
turned  to  his  sister  for  explanation.  Elsie,  trembling 
in  every  limb,  rushed  through  the  open  door,  heedless 
of  Herbert's  earnest  entreaty  to  remain.  How  she 
gained  the  street  and  flew  up  the  long  flights  of  stairs 
and  buried  her  head  in  Margaret's  lap,  she  never  re- 
alized until  long  after.  What  a  tumult  of  anger, 
shame,  and  wounded  love  raged  in  the  girl's  breast. 
How  black  her  sky  seemicd,  and  how  pitiful  the  story 
was  when,  by  snatches  of  incoherent  words  and  bursts 
of  passionate  tears,  Margaret  finally  became  possessed 
of  it.  She  could  only  bend  over  the  writhing  form 
and  press  kisses  upon  the  disordered  hair,  while  en- 
deavoring to  soothe  by  touch  and  voice  the  violent 
storm  of  sobs  and  tears.  Calmness  had  not  yet  come 
back  to  them  and  reason  could  only  dimly  see  its  way 
through  the  darkness,  when  there  came  an  imperative 
rap  at  the  door,  followed  almost  instantly  by  Herbert's 
appearance. 

"  Elsie,"  he  cried,  tossing  his  hat  into  a  chair  and 
coming  up  to  her  as  she  lay  v/ith  her  head  buried  in 
Margaret's  lap,  "  I  have  come  to  make  reparation  for 
all  that  you  have  suffered  this  morning.  I  have  learned 
the  whole  disgraceful  story,  and  I  have  come  to  offer 
the  hand  with  the  heart  that  has  been  yours  for 
months.  Look  up,  Elsie,  and  answer  me.  Margaret 
knows  that  I  have  loved  you  long." 

*'  Oh,  go  away  and  leave  me,"  moaned  Elsie.  "  I 
cannot  bear  any  more." 

"  Come  !  "  exclaimed  Herbert,  bending  over  her  and 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  24 1 

attempting  to  lift  her  from  Margaret's  lap.  "  I  am 
impatient.     I  want  a  decisive  answer." 

''You  shall  have  it,"  said  Elsie,  pulling  herself  away 
from  him  and  raising  a  tear-stained  and  mutinous  face 
to  his.     "  It  is  a  most  unqualified  No." 

Herbert  staggered  back  a  few  steps  and  gazed  with 
evident  surprise  at  Elsie's  resolute  face.  "You  can- 
not surely  mean  it,"  he  cried.  ''  I  thought  you  loved 
me,  or  would  love  me." 

"Over-confidence  is  sometimes  disastrous,  even  to 
young  men  who  fancy  the  world  is  '  mine  oyster.'  " 

"  Dear  child,  you  are  hurt,  unstrung  by  thfe  distress- 
ing events  of  the  morning.  I  wish  I  could  make  you 
see  how  pained  I  am  that  you  should  have  been  made 
to  suffer  so.     I  wish  you  would  let  me  make  reparation." 

"  I  do  not  need  any,"  said  Elsie  proudly.  "  I  find 
myself  able  to  survive  even  your  sister's  insults." 

"  Do  not  refer  to  them.  Helen  has  a  great  many 
false  ideas,  but  you  ought  not  to  punish  me  for  them. 
I  have  never  willingly  harmed  you." 

"Yes,  you  have!"  Elsie  broke  out  impetuously. 
"  Did  not  I  beg  of  you  to  let  me  alone,  to  keep  to  your 
own  devices  and  let '  Elsie  the  cook  *  go  her  own  way  ?  " 

A  pained  look  overspread  Herbert's  face  as  he  an- 
swered :  "  If  I  have  wronged  you,  Elsie,  I  offer  you  as 
honorable  a  reparation  as  any  man  can  offer  a  woman." 

"And  do  you  think  because,  to, please  your  own  fan- 
cies, you  have  despoiled  me  of  a  chance  to  earn  my 
bread,  I  can  accept  so  great  a  condescension  ?  I  had 
rather  starve  than  be  made  the  recipient  of  any  man's 
tardy  sense  of  honor." 


242  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

Stung,  but  not  baffled,  Herbert  answered:  "I  loved 
you  almost  from  the  first  time  I  saw  you.  I  sought 
to  win  your  regard  with  a  scrupulous  sense  of  honor, 
and  if  this  offer  of  my  hand  is  tardy,  it  is  only  because 
you  have  so  persistently  kept  me  at  bay.  Elsie,  I  beg 
you  to  forget  my  sister's  taunts  and  let  me  prove  how 
devotedly  I  can  make  amends  for  the  suffering  I  have 
caused  you.  Margaret,  help  me  to  prove  how  true 
my  statements  are." 

Herbert  turned,  only  to  find  that  Margaret  had 
slipped  away.  '*  Elsie,  darling,"  he  added,  going  up  to 
her  and  attempting  to  take  her  in  his  arms,  "  I  can- 
not believe,  after  last  night,  that  you  do  not,  at  least 
cannot,  love  me.  I  was  the  happiest  man  last  night 
that  ever  sat  in  the  glow  of  the  fire-light  and  drew  pic- 
tures of  the  future.  If  we  had  not  been  interrupted  I 
should  have  told  you  then  all  that  I  tell  you  now. 
Elsie!   Elsie!  trust  me  to  make  you  happy." 

But  Elsie  drew  herself  away  from  the  outstretched 
arms  and  sheltered  herself  behind  an  intervening  rocker. 
*'  I  cannot,"  she  said  resolutely,  although  the  pleading 
tones  no  less  than  the  supplicating  eyes  had  well-nigh 
broken  her  composure.  "  Even  could  I  so  compose 
my  heart  as  to  contemplate  the  possibility  which  you 
picture,  there  is  an  insurmountable  obstacle  in  the 
way." 

"And  that  is?'      , 

"Your  sister!  Never  will  I  enter  a  family,  were  it 
ten  times  mightier  than  the  one  you  represent,  where 
I  could  be  the  object  of  such  undeserved  scorn  as  was 
heaped  upon  me  this  morning." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  243 

"  My  poor  child !     I  will  put  the  globe  between  us." 

"And  let  me  be  the  naeans  of  separating  an  only 
brother  and  sister  ?^  No!  Go  back  to  your  sister,  and 
marry  some  one  who  represents  her  idea  of  respecta- 
bility— Miss  Houghton,  for  instance — and  be  sure  that 
family  approval  and  society  will  bless  you  forever 
after." 

''  Thank  you  for  the  suggestion,"  said  Herbert  dryly. 
"  I  am,  however,  neither  marrying  my  sister  nor  her 
ideas." 

"  No,  I  don't  think  you're  marrying  anybody  at 
present." 

"And  am  not  likely  to,  you  doubtless  mean  to  sug- 
gest ?     Elsie,  what  makes  you  punish  me  so  ?  " 

"  I  am  only  paying  you  what  I  owe  you." 

"  That  is  honest;  now  give  me  back  the  heart  you've 
stolen." 

"  I  have  no  heart  to  give." 

"  Elsie  Murchison!  "  exclaimed  Herbert  with  a  new 
sternness,  "  I  have  one  question  more  to  ask  you,  and 
I  demand  a  straightforward  answer.  Tell  me  by  all 
the  truth  in  your  nature — do  you  love  me  ?  " 

Driven  to  bay,  Elsie  stood  alternately  flushing  and 
paling,  and  with  her  frame  in  such  a  quiver  of  excite- 
m.ent  that  the  hand  which  rested  on  the  rocker  shook 
perceptibly.  "  I  decline  to  answer,"  she  finally  fal- 
tered. "  You  have  no  right  to  question  a  foregone 
conclusion.     I  have  told  you  I  will  not  marry  you." 

"  Is  that  decision  final  ?  "  asked  Herbert  as  he  picked 
up  his  hat.  "  Can  no  pleading,  no  proof  of  devotion 
change  it  ?  " 


244  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

White  to  the  very  lips,  Elsie  answered :  "  It  is  final 
and  absolute." 

"Then  God  pity  us  both!  "  cried  Herbert  as,  with  a 
face  as  white  as  Elsie's  own,  he  left  the  room. 

Elsie  threw  herself  on  the  floor  and  writhed  in  the 
agony  of  mental  torture. 

"  Love  him  ?  Love  him  ?  "  asked  the  tumultuous 
heart.  Did  she  not  rather  idolize  him.  And  now  she 
had  signed  her  own  death-warrant.  "  God  keep  him 
wherever  he  went — how  could  she  live  Vvdthout  him  ?  " 
A  tempest  of  tears  answered  this  question  as  she 
saw  days  stretch  into  months  and  months  into  years 
without  one  glimpse  of  the  sunny  blue  eyes,  one 
sound  of  the  melodious  voice,  or  touch  of  the  kindly 
hands  that  had  been  so  glad  to  anticipate  any  need  or 
desire  of  hers.  **  How  can  I  live,  how  can  I  live  with- 
out him  ?  "  she  sobbed  aloud,  writhing  in  absolute  phys- 
ical pain.  "  Oh,  I  shall  die!  I  shall  die!  It  will  be  too 
dreadful  to  live  now!  " 

A  second  later  a  pair  of  strong  arms  gathered  her 
within  their  embrace,  and  Herbert's  lips  were  raining 
kisses  upon  brow,  cheek,  and  lips.  *'  I  knew  it,  Elsie," 
he  whispered.  '^  I  couldn't  give  it  up  so  easily.  You 
do  love  me,  I  know  you  do.     You  dare  not  deny  it." 

With  sudden  impetuosity  a  pair  of  lithe  arms  crept 
around  his  neck,  and  hiding  her  face  in  his  bosom  Elsie 
sobbed :  "  I  don't  want  to  deny  it  now,  for  it  has  almost 
killed  me.     But  truly  I'll  never  marry  you." 

Herbert  laughed.     "  Tell  me  the  reason." 

"Well,  it  wouldn't  be  right,  and  not  even  my  love 
for  you  will  make  me  do  what  is  not  fair  and  just." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  245 

"That's  right,  my  little  girl,"  answered  Herbert  be- 
tween kisses.  "  We'll  try  to  remove  the  wrong.  Now 
that  I  know  I'm  held  fast  in  the  stronghold  of  your 
heart,  I  can  conquer  the  world." 

"  Can  you  ?  "  asked  Elsie,  the  old  mischief  coming 
quickly  back.  ''  Can  you  make  your  sister,  Mrs. 
Mason,  get  down  on  her  knees  and  beg  me  to  marry 
you  to  save  you  from  a  decline  ?  " 

''  ril  try,"  said  Herbert  with  a  grimace,  "  although  I 
beg  to  be  delivered  from  the  decline." 


246  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Like  Byron,  Margaret  awoke  one  day  and  found 
herself  famous.  The  daily  press,  in  keeping  close 
watch  of  ^the  anarchist  movement,  had  reported  nearly 
verbatim  the  speeches  of  both  Gilbert  and  Margaret. 
Editorials  had  been  written  upon  Margaret's  utteran- 
ces, and  one  enterprising  daily  had  printed  a  supposed 
portrait  of  her  and  given  a  brief  account  of  her 
work  in  the  tenement-house,  wherein  she  had  been 
glorified  beyond  her  just  deserts  and  made  to  wear 
the  mantle  of  the  professional  reformer.  Margaret 
was  by  no  means  pleased  with  this  unexpected  noto- 
riety, and  particularly  displeasing  to  her  sensitive  na- 
ture was  the  attitude  in  which  she  had  been  made  to 
stand  with  reference  to  those  whom  she  had  sought  to 
aid  in  the  quietness  and  sympathy  of  her  home  life. 
As  a  friend,  she  was  sure  of  their  appreciation  and  co- 
operation ;  as  a  reformer,  she  felt  fearful  of  their  mis- 
trust and  the  gradual  withdrawal  of  the  sympathies 
she  had  grown  to  depend  upon  for  her  own  guidance 
and  happiness.  It  was,  therefore,  with  no  little  vexa- 
tion of  spirit  that  she  found  herself  waited  upon  one 
day  by  a  committee  of  ladies  who  urged  her  going 
upon  the  platform  as  the  advance  agent  of  a  board  of 
foreign  missions. 

"  It  is  impossible,"  cried  Margaret  when  the  object 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  247 

of  the  visit  had  been  explained.  *'  I  am  not  fitted  for 
such  work.  Indeed,  it  was  a  mere  accident  which 
caused  my  appearance  in  public,  and  I  hope  never  to 
repeat  it." 

The  ladies  looked  at  each  other  aghast.  Here  was 
good  timber  obviously  going  to  waste.  Something 
must  be  done  to  secure  it.  "  But,"  they  argued,  "  you 
must  have  the  interests  of  our  work  at  heart,  as  your 
utterances  gave  evidence  and  as  your  work  in  your 
own  home  circle  proves.  Why  not  be  willing  to 
broaden  it  and  bring  the  suffering  ones  of  earth,  whom 
you  evidently  pity,  a  little  relief  ?  " 

"  Because,"  said  Margaret,  smiling,  "  I  believe,  in  the 
truest  sense,  in  the  old  saying  that  *  Charity  begins  at 
home.'  I  have  a  home  to  make,  first  of  all,  for  a 
young  brother  and  sister  who  look  upon  me  as  mother 
and  guardian.  So  long  as  they  have  need  of  me  I 
shall  always  keep  for  them  the  one  spot  where  home 
ties  may  reign  supreme.  In  the  next  place,  I  shall 
doubtless  horrify  you  by  saying  that  I  do  not  believe 
in  charity." 

A  look  of  wide-eyed  dismay  went  around  the  little 
circle. 

''  But  let  me  qualify  the  ruggedness  of  so  bare  a 
statement,"  said  Margaret  as  a  look  of  quiet  amuse- 
ment crept  over  her  face.  *'  I  have  reference  only  to 
the  charity  which  is  practised  under  present  condi- 
tions. In  the  first  place,  I  think  we  have  heathen 
enough  to  convert  at  home;  in  the  second,  if  there 
were  more  of  the  genuine  charity  which  was  taught  by 
our  great  Preceptor,  there  would  be  scant  need  of  the 


248  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

various  forms  of  associated  charity.  Modern  charity 
belittles  and  robs  men  of  the  God-given  sense  of  inde- 
pendent manhood  which  should  be  cultivated  and  re- 
spected in  every  one.  The  helping  hand  that  is  given 
by  associated  charity  fosters  a  national  laziness  and 
sloth  which  grows  every  year  more  wide-spread  and 
disgraceful." 

*' That  is  a  most  astounding  statement,"  cried  her 
hearers. 

"  I  think  you  will  find  it  true,"  replied  Margaret 
quietly.  "  Charity  that  is  bestowed  with  the  air  of 
patronage  which  such  organizations  can  scarcely  fail 
to  exhibit,  must  make  its  wards  feel  that  independent 
effort  is  not  respected  as  it  should  be.  We  do  not 
give  any  more  from  a  fraternal  desire  to  see  our  fallen 
brother  rise  to  his  feet  and  work  steadily  toward  the 
goal  which  we  have  reached  or  are  Hearing;  but  we 
give  perhaps  from  a  desire  to  display  our  importance, 
or  from  a  philanthropy  which  expects  to  find  its  way 
into  the  newspapers  and  be  talked  about,  or  because 
it  is  fashionable  to  'assume  a  virtue  if  we  have  it  not.' 
If  we  gave  from  the  standpoint  of  humanity  and  a 
desire  to  see  all  men  on  an  equal  footing  before  the 
law,  do  you  suppose  it  would  be  necessary  to  announce 
such  themes  from  the  pulpits  of  elegant  and  exclusive 
churches  as  *  How  to  reach  the  masses  ?  *  The  masses 
would  be  there  to  be  reached.  They  would  not  be 
outside,  because  an  exclusive  sexton  had  found  that 
he  must  look  to  the  best  interests  of  his  patrons.  The 
church  is  every  day  growing  richer  and  more  influen- 
tial.    How  is   it   with   the  heaven-born   principles   of 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  249 

Him  who  toiled  at  the  carpenter's  bench  and  proved 
to  the  fishermen  of  GaHlee  that  a  common  bond  of 
divine  and  human  love  held  them  together  ?  What  is 
the  church  to-day  in  a  great  measure  but  a  business 
institution  ?  How  much  of  the  old  faith  clings  to  the 
embroidered  garment  that  has  displaced  the  simple 
white  robe  of  the  Messiah  of  all  men  ?  It  is  useless  to 
offer  charity  to  a  man  whose  rights  you  have  denied, 
and  expect  thereby  to  build  up  a  prosperous  and  God- 
fearing commonwealth.  Ladies,  I  must  forego  the 
generous  offer  you  make  me,  for  the  bread  would  be  bit- 
ter in  my  mouth  which  I  earned  by  upholding  a  belief 
that  I  felt  to  be  fundamentally  wrong.  I  ask  nothing 
more  than  to  be  given  strength  to  help  wherever  I  can 
in  the  humblest  way  and  with  the  sincerest  love." 

It  was  a  silent  and  crestfallen  committee  that  bowed 
itself  from  Margaret's  presence  and  whispered  "  quix- 
otic," ''  cranky,"  "  absurd,"  when  it  reached  the  side- 
walk. Margaret  sank  into  a  chair,  after  the  commit- 
tee had  left  her,  with  a  feeling  of  vague  discomfort 
and  unrest.  Did  this  invasion  of  her  private  work 
bear  any  occult  meaning  ?  Was  there  really  a  broader 
field  of  action  awaiting  her  helping  hand  wherein  she 
could  better  fulfill  the  principles  she  loved  to  dissemi- 
nate ?  Suddenly,  as  if  in  revelation,  she  saw  Gilbert's 
impassioned  face  as  he  pleaded  so  eloquently  for  his 
brother  toilers  at  the  anarchist  meeting.  Here  was 
work  for  Gilbert,  stretching  out  into  an  indefinite  and 
glowing  future.  A  society  of  universal  brotherhood  ! 
She  remembered  that  once  a  stranger  had  preached  in 
her  father's  pulpit  on  that  very  topic,  and   she  had 


250  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

never  forgotten  the  five  great  principles  he  had  enun- 
ciated. She  had  jotted  them  down  in  her  note-book 
as  truths  worth  remembering,  and  now  they  came 
back  to  her  with  the  vividness  and  force  with  which  a 
thinking  brain  is  often  overtaken  by.  the  ideas  of  the 
great  minds  of  the  world. 

1.  ''A  society  of  universal  brotherhood  must  be 
founded  on  eternal  truth." 

2.  *'  It  must  permit  full  and  free  development  to 
every  member  of  the  human  race." 

3.  "  There  must  be  perfect  harmony  between  all  its 
members." 

4.  **  It  must  attempt  to  secure  happiness  in  this 
w^orld.  Here,  now,  on  this  planet,  in  this  day  and  gen- 
eration, it  must  give  justice  to  all  mankind." 

5.  "  It  must  make  not  only  men,  but  nations,  free."  - 
She  well  remembered  how  the  eloquent  clergyman 

had  enlarged  upon  this  declaration  of  principles  in 
glowing  words. 

"Tell  me,"  he  had  said,  "would  not  such  a  society 
meet  your  desires  ?  Yet  such  was  the  organization 
founded  by  Jesus  Christ.  Men  have  found  occasion 
to  depart  a  long  way  from  it,  but  not  till  they  retrace 
their  steps  and  take  up  the  work  as  He  planned  it, 
can  they  enjoy  the  fruits  of  the  wisest  law-giver  the 
world  ever  beheld.  "  He  was  the  true  leader  of  men. 
He  was  born  in  a  manger  and  brought  up  in  poverty. 
He  preached  the  purest  and  truest  democracy  the 
world  has  ever  listened  to.     The  tramp,  the  outcast, 

*  These  principles  were  recently  enunciated  by  Father  Huntington. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  25  I 

the  beggar  were  with  Him  the  equals  before  the  law 
of  the  richest  man  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  There 
was  nothing  narrow  in  His  creed.  But  how  shall  men 
establish  the  new  order  ?  We  must  take  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  by  storm;  we  must  convert  the  boodlers 
and  the  aristocrats  who  now  dominate  the  church. 
Let  me  tell  you  the  rich  are  getting  tired  of  the  life 
they  are  living.  They  are  beginning  to  see  its  falsity, 
and  many  of  them  are  anxious  to  see  some  means 
adopted  by  which  greater  justice  can  be  rendered  to 
all.  Work,  then,  my  brothers,  in  behalf  of  the  rich  as 
well  as  the  poor,  and  make  the  society  of  universal 
brotherhood  the  grand  factor  in  a  new  civilization." 

These  impassioned  words  had  burned  themselves  on 
Margaret's  memory,  and  in  the  light  of  later  events 
seemed  to  have  a  peculiar  force  and  significance.  A 
society  of  universal  brotherhood!  How  beautiful  it 
seemed  in  theory;  how  easily,  even  on  the  basis  of  an 
eighteen-hundred-years-old  truth,  the  theory  might  be 
evolved  into  established  fact.  Yet  that  mighty  and 
eternal  truth  had  been  all  these  years,  through  innu- 
merable persecutions  and  conflicts,  vainly  seeking  its 
perfect  flower  and  fruit.  Where  lay  the  difficulty? 
Why  were  its  life-giving  branches  so  persistently 
lopped,  its  trunk  gashed  and  riven,  its  healing  leaves 
stripped  and  torn,  and  its  fruition  hindered  and  ob- 
structed ?  Margaret  pondered  long  over  the  puzzling 
questions.  It  was  a  fundamental  truth  that  mankind 
was  seeking  happiness  and  had  the  same  general  na- 
ture and  desires.  What,  then,  made  the  great  diver- 
gence ?  The  casusist  and  sophist  might  find  deep  within 


252  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

the  logic  of  history  and  the  philosophy  of  man  a  more 
lofty  reason  ;  but  Margaret's  primitive  nature  saw  only 
the  main  truth  that  men  had  departed  from  the  under- 
lying principle  on  which  Christ  had  founded  His  church 
of  the  living  gospel.  Primitive  ideas  had  been  ig- 
nored, scoffed  at,  trampled  in  the  dust,  and  yet  the 
great  Master  had  made  those  ideas  the  whole  sum  and 
substance  of  life  when  He  enjoined  upon  man  to  love 
God  and  his  neighbor,  live  soberly  and  righteously, 
visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  affliction,  and  keep 
himself  unspotted  from  the  world.  Setting  aside  the 
divine  emanation  of  such  laws,  they  were  the  truest  in- 
terpretation of  natural  law,  for  what  is  vicious  is  inju- 
rious. The  divine  virtues  of  truth  and  equity  are  the 
bulwarks  of  society ;  if  they  are  transgressed,  the  whole 
body  politic  suffers,  even  as  the  transgression  of  natu- 
ral law  causes  disease  and  dissolution.  Surely,  here 
"  the  steps  are  not  straightened  and  he  that  runneth 
stumbleth  not." 

To  Gilbert,  Margaret  communicated  all  her  doubts 
and  fears  as  well  as  hopes  upon  this  theme,  and  with 
the  eagerness  Avith  which  an  awakened  spirit  seizes 
upon  ideas,  he  followed  her  reasoning  to  a  conclusion 
which  would  have  been  remarkable  in  one  so  young,  if 
it  had  not  been  the  logical  result  of  Margaret's  train- 
ing and  practice. 

"I  can  only  work  on  the  plan  you  outline  by  first 
finding  out  how  those  I  desire  to  reach  are  striving 
for  the  happiness  that  is  their  aim.  It  will  be  a  long 
and  laborious  effort,  for  I  must  truly  prove  myself  the 
friend  of  every  man.     No  thief,  thug,  criminal,  outcast, 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  253 

or  harlot  must  be  too  vile  and  degraded  to  receive 
the  warm  clasp  of  my  hand  and  the  hearty  utterance 
of  my  good-will.  Am  I  equal  to  it  ?  "  Gilbert  buried 
his  head  in  his  hands  with  a  sob  that  was  v.Tung  from 
the  consciousness  of  a  lifelong  sacrifice.  Margaret 
knelt  beside  his  chair  and  softly  slipped  an  arm  around 
his  neck. 

"A  second  Jean  Valjean!  "  she  whispered. 

"  It  is  at  most  an  experiment,"  said  Gilbert  later, 
"  and  even  in  the  event  of  failure  must  do  more  good 
than  harm.     I  will  try  it." 

The  loss  of  Elsie's  abundant  wages  had  been  a  try- 
ing matter  to  the  little  household.  Gilbert's  attend- 
ance at  the  manual-training  school  had  been  perforce 
curtailed,  and  the  question  of  subsistence  became  a 
serious  one.  Herbert  had  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
supply  their  needs,  since  his  indiscretion  had  been  the 
cause  of  their  loss,  but  the  ingrained  independence  of 
both  sisters  rebelled  at  the  suggestion. 

*' No,"  exclaimed  Elsie  emphatically,  "not  until  I 
say  '  yes  *  at  the  altar — and  that  day  is  still  so  remote 
as  to  be  almost  nebulous — shall  I  permit  any  expendi- 
ture of  your  money  on  my  behalf." 

"  Not  even  for  this  ?  "  and  Herbert  drew  from  his 
pocket  a  small  velvet  case  and  flashed  a  brilliant  dia- 
mond ring  before  Elsie's  eyes.  She  took  it,  flushing 
with  pleasure  over  its  beauty,  and  held  it  up  over  her 
head  to  watch  the  play  of  translucent  light  on  its  pol- 
ished surface. 

"  Oh,  what  beautiful  things  God  makes  in  His  labor- 
atory!" she  cried,  *' and  how  I  do  love  beauty!     But 


254  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

take  it  back,  Herbert ;  it  would  be  out  of  place  on  the 
hand  of  a  working  girl." 

"  I'm  tempted  to  quarrel  with  you  all  the  time,"  said 
Herbert  petulantly.  "  What  shall  I  get  you — an  iron 
ring?" 

"'You  might  have  it  silver-plated,"  suggested  Elsie 
soberly,  "so  that,  like  the  majority  of  my  sex,  I  would 
not  know  it  was  iron  until  after  marriage." 

"You  are  incorrigible!  But  what  are  you  going  to 
do  with  yourself,  anyway,  while  you  are  waiting  for 
that  haughty  sister  of  mine  to  come  under  my  sooth- 
ing ministrations  ?  " 

"  Something  new — work!  " 

*'  At  what  ?  " 

"  Slop-work,  like  Margaret.  I've  already  bought  a 
new  sewing-machine — on  part  payments,  of  course — 
and  I  am  going  to  break  the  record  on  hickory  shirts 
and  blue  jeans  overalls." 

"Absurd!  quixotic!  outrageous!"  exclaimed  Her- 
bert, springing  to  his  feet  and  pacing  the  room  with 
an  excited  air.  "  I  tell  you,  Elsie,  you  and  Margaret 
will  kill  yourselves  in  endeavoring  to  uphold  the  dig- 
nity of  woman  or  labor  or  some  other  foolish  notion." 

"Herbert!"  Elsie's  eyes  flashed  ominously.  "If 
the  whole  world  were  like  you — Supreme  Sultans  of 
Gilded  Leisure — you  might  make  your  uncomplimen- 
tary classifications;  but  under  existing  conditions,  I 
think — well,  I  think  you  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  your- 
self;  so  there! " 

"  I  am,"  said  Herbert  contritely,  as  he  took  her  in 
his  arms.     "  I  don't  in  the  least  question  the  nobility  of 


A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY.  255 

motive  that  inspires  all  this  heroism,  but  I  do  question 
its  result.  Do  you  think  the  fate  of  the  world  is  hang- 
ing on  the  struggles  of  two  such  admittedly  unselfish 
and  uplifted  slips  of  girls  ?  " 

''You're  just  like  the  old  heathen  masters  of  moral- 
ity] "  ejaculated  Elsie.  "  They  gave  such  excellent 
rules  for  other  men's  guidance,  but  they  hadn't  the 
courage  to  try  their  arguments  on  themselves.  Of 
course  Margaret  and  I  are  very  heroic  in  trying  to  live 
up  to  our  principles — but  very  silly!  " 

Herbert's  laugh  was  so  contagious  that  even  Elsie 
joined  in  it. 

"I  am  afraid  I'm  a  heathen,"  he  said  dubiously,  ''if 
in  this  day  and  age,  when  the  air  is  blue  with  reforms, 
I  object  to  seeing  the  girl  I  love  wearing  her  life  away 
for  a  mere  chimera." 

"Herbert  Lynn!"  exclaimed  Elsie  impetuously  as 
she  drew  away  from  his  embrace  and  looked  him  ear- 
nestly in  the  face.  "  Do  you  look  upon  the  question 
of  the  day,  the  question  that  occupies  all  tongues  and 
speaks  a  heart-rending  language  in  every  half-starved 
wretch  that  walks  the  street,  as  a  chimera  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  phantom  that  has  been  chased  a  good  many 
thousand  years,"  he  answered,  "and  the  end  is  not 
yet." 

"  Have  you  no  interest  in  the  question  ?  " 

"Specifically,  yes;  generally,  no." 

"  Then  you  have  no  heart !  "  exclaimed  Elsie  warmly. 

"  I  confess  that  it  has  left  me  and  is  in  the  keeping 
of  a  fierce  little  radical." 

"  Who  wishes  your  judgment  was  with  it,  for  I  think 


256  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

such  conservatism  as  yours  is  dangerous  and — yes, 
positively  wicked  !  " 

''You  are  charming  when  you  wear  that  look,"  said 
Herbert  critically. 

''Just  wait  till  I  find  you  are  as  obstinate  as  you  are 
evasive,  and  I  shall  not  look  so  charming.  But  really 
I  wish  you  would  go  away.  Do  you  see  that  pile  of 
blue  jeans  ?  Every  moment  wasted  on  you  is  just  so 
much  stolen  from  my  beauty  sleep,  and  of  course  you 
care  more  for  that  than  for  any  purpose  of  mine." 

"  Well,  then,  if  you'll  remember  that  all  I  shall  ask 
of  you  at  our  next  meeting  will  be  to  look  pretty  and 
talk  nonsense  I'll  go."  Suiting  the  action  to  the  word, 
he  left  the  room. 

"  Elsie,"  he  called  a  moment  later  as  he  put  his  head 
in  the  open  door,  "  may  I  send  you  a  violet  if  it's  a 
very  small  and  stingy  one  ?  " 

Herbert  dodged  just  in  time  to  escape  the  pin-cush- 
ion Elsie  threw  at  his  head,  but  the  supper-table  that 
night  was  graced  with  a  generous  bouquet  of  Parme- 
san violets,  and'  they  nestled  lovingly  in  Elsie's  dark 
locks,  under  her  plump  chin,  and  in  the  cincture  of 
her  slender  waist. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  257 


CHAPTER  XX. 

For  some  weeks  Gilbert  had  been  perfecting  a  num- 
ber of  handsomely  finished  medicine  cabinets  (which 
were  furnished  with  racks  for  bottles  and  drawers  for 
boxes,  sponges,  and  all  the  various  healing  parapher- 
nalia which  every  well-regulated  household  keeps  at 
hand  for  emergencies),  and  now  that  the  question  of 
subsistence  was  so  seriously  confronting  them  once 
more,  he  determined  to  canvass  from  house  to  house 
and  endeavor  to  sell  them.  Knowing  that  the  homes 
of  the  rich  would  be  closed  against  him,  he  could  only 
hope  to  gain  access  to  those  of  the  middle  and  poorer 
classes,  among  whom  he  meant  to  provoke  what 
thought  and  inquiry  he  could  regarding  the  establish- 
ment of  a  society  of  universal  brotherhood.  Beyond 
the  five  great  principles  enunciated  by  the  eloquent 
clergyman,  all  ideas  were  as  yet  in  a  nebulous  state. 
Having  established  the  fact  of  a  desire  for  the  pro- 
posed reform,  the  three  instigators — for  Elsie  was  al- 
ready heart  and  hand  in  the  projected  work — believed 
that  wisdom  would  be  given  them  for  the  rounding 
and  perfecting  of  details.  "  There  is  one  thing  to  be 
remembered,"  said  Margaret,  ''that  to-day  no  less 
than  yesterday  a  tree  is  known  by  its  fruit,  and  love 
to  God  can  only  be  reached  in  the  minds  of  the  op- 
pressed through  love  to  man.     First  prove  to  men  that 


258  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

you  love  their  souls  because  you  love  the  God  that 
created  them,  and  you  will  then  be  able  to  convey  to 
them  some  of  the  greater  truths  of  a  divine  and  spirit- 
ual love." 

"  Is  not  that  material  doctrine  ?"  asked  Elsie. 

"  No,  I  do  not  think  so.  The  world  has  been  mysti- 
fied too  long.  The  plain  and  simple  doctrine  of  a 
human,  interested,  generous  love  even  a  child  can  un- 
derstand, and  God  does  not  despise  the  day  of  small 
things." 

''  How  otherwise  can  you  reach  a  material  nature 
than  by  material  symbols  ?  "  asked  Gilbert. 

''  Even  as  a  child  learns  to  rely  upon  love  and  grad- 
ually reaches  back  to  the  motive  and  inspiration  of 
that  love,  so  back  of  this  earthly  brotherhood  men  will 
come  to  see  the  radiance  and  truth  of  divinity  over- 
shadowing it." 

"Ah,  if  mankind  can  only  be  made  to  look  at  it  in 
that  light !  But  what  are  we  going  to  do,  Gilbert,  in 
this  new  order  with  the  besotted  and  brutish  natures 
that  live  only  for  self  ?  " 

"  Give  them  all  the  personal  friendliness  we  can  and 
help  them  to  outgrow  their  evil  natures." 

*'  It  will  take  generations  of  refining  influences  to  do 
that,  I  am  afraid.  So  much  clings  to  the  flesh  that  is 
bred  in  the  bone." 

"True;  but  we  are  to-day  only  small  factors  in  the 
great  scheme  of  human  civilization.  What  we  leave 
unfinished  other  hands  may  take  up.  In  any  event, 
whether  of  failure  or  success,  we  three,  weird  fates 
maybe,"  said  Gilbert  with  a  smile,  "  we  know  that  for 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  259 

US  happiness  lies  in  doing  what  we  can  to  h'ghten  the 
heavy  load  of  oppression  and  injustice  under  which  our 
brothers  are  groaning." 

*'Amen!"  exclaimed  Elsie,  printing  a  resounding 
kiss  upon  Gilbert's  cheek.  *'You  look  like  another 
Savonarola,  only  a  trifle  handsomer,  I  must  admit." 

"Give  me  the  inspiration  of  his  genius  and  the  force 
of  his  eloquence,  and  I'll  will  you  my  good  looks." 

''Thanks!  Herbert  says  I'll  do  as  I  am,"  she  ex- 
claimed, drawing  herself  up  to  her  full  height  and 
flushing  and  dimpling  as  roguishly  as  a  mischievous 
child. 

"  By  the  way,  Elsie,  how  are  you  and  your  million- 
aire lover  going  to  reconcile  the  very  opposite  views 
you  hold  on  various  vital  questions  ?  " 

Elsie's  face  grew  sober  instantly.  "  I  don't  like  to 
think  about  it,  Gilbert.  I'm  so  happy  now  that  I'm 
only  waiting.  Perhaps — some  time— God  knows  !  " 
and  tears  routed  the  smiles  on  the  volatile  face. 

"There!  don't  worry  about  it,"  said  Gilbert.  "He's 
a  jolly  good  fellow,  anyhow,  and  we  wouldn't  be  any 
worse  than  a  number  of  well-known  personages  of  his- 
tory if  we  let  conscience  succumb  to  the  narcotizing 
influence  of  his  pieces  of  silver." 

There  was  an  unusual  twinkle  in  the  eyes  of  the 
sober  Gilbert,  which  provoked  Elsie  to  say:  "Go  to, 
thou  reformer!  What  need  hast  thou  of  any  man's 
silver  ?  " 

With  Elsie's  return  home,  her  faculty  for  turning  off 
work,  and  her  fund  of  good-humor,  the  circumference 
of  the  Busy  Fingers  Club  was  constantly  increasing. 


26o  A    NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

Now  that  Gilbert  was  away  so  much,  she  took  his 
place  at  the  bench  on  the  Saturdays  allotted  to  the 
Club,  and  if  she  did  not  exhibit  his  dexterity  in  direct- 
ing and  executing  work,  she  yet  preserved  order  and 
made  fast  friends  of  the  boys  under  her  charge.  She 
was  so  fertile  in  suggestion  that  a  good  many  new 
ideas  took  shape  in  inventive  heads  and  found  expres- 
sion in  beautiful  and  useful  things  in  wood.  "  Some 
day,"  said  Elsie  sagely,  "  we'll  have  a  bazaar  and  sell 
these  things,  and  oh,  won't  we  be  rich!  " 

''What'll  we  do  with  our  money  ?  "  cried  the  boys. 

*'  Put  it  in  the  bank  until  we  can  find  some  great 
and  glorious  need  for  it." 

''Like  buying  me  a  bicycle!"  shouted  one  of  the 
lads. 

"And  me  a  base-ball  outfit  !  " 

''And  me  a  fiddle!" 

"And  me  a  musical  top!  " 

"And  me  a  white  elephant!"  cried  Elsie.  But  the 
laugh  did  not  rout  the  idea  of  doing  something  in  the 
way  of  a  bazaar.  It  spread  among  the  girls  and  in- 
cited them  to  renewed  effort ;  and  it  grew  to  be  an 
open  secret  in  the  neighborhood  that  in  the  glowing 
but  indefinite  sometime,  great  things  were  to  be 
achieved  by  the  now  well-known  Busy  Fingers  Club. 

It  was  the  last  of  November  and  Antoine  had  re- 
turned from  the  hospital,  able  to  walk  with  the  aid  of 
one  crutch  and  the  promise  of  discarding  that  when 
exercise  and  development  had  perfected  the  cure. 
A  happier  woman  than  Lizzette  Minaud  seldom  walked 
the  earth.     All  her  dreams  and  anticipations  of  good 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  26 1 

fortune  seemed  to  be  winging  their  way  to  realization. 
Antoine  was  getting  well ;  for  now  that  the  lad  had 
been  lifted  to  his  full  stature,  the  deformed  shoulders 
seemed  to  be  straightening,  the  color  came  and  went 
in  the  once  pale  cheeks,  and  the  laughter  in  his  heart 
made  a  constant  music  for  her. 

'*  Oh,  eet  ees  all  von  blessed  Providence,  mon  Her- 
beart,"  she  cried  as  he  sat  at  her  right  hand,  the  hon- 
ored guest  at  the  little  banquet  she  had  prepared  at 
Idlewild  to  welcome  Antoine's  hom.e-coming.  ''  Surely 
le  bon  Dieu  direct  ze  noble  heart  to  help  my  boy, 
and " 

"  Fall  in  love  with  Elsie,"  suggested  Herbert,  who 
felt  a  little  fearful  of  a  lachrymose  scene  in  which  he 
might  be  called  upon  to  play  actor. 

''Certainement! "  laughed  Lizzette.  ''Eet  ees  ze 
match  made  in  heaven." 

'*  Occasional  sulphurous  fumes  about  it  when  I  scold, 
eh,  Herbert?"  cried  Elsie. 

"  Oh,  just  enough  as  yet  to  light  the  flame  of  a 
ready  wit.  Whether  there'll  ever  be  any  greater  com- 
bustion remains  to  be  seen." 

"Well,  I  couldn't  be  any  happier  over  it  if  I  stood 
in  Herbert's  place,"  ejaculated  Antoine,  which  grave 
announcement,  in  view  of  his  twelve  years  of  maturity, 
was  met  with  marked  hilarity  by  the  little  circle.  ''And 
I'm  sure,"  added  Antoine,  in  no  way  abashed,  "  if  Her- 
bert is  never  blown  up  until  Elsie  lights  the  fuse  he'll 
walk  the  earth  a  good  while;  for  I  don't  believe  she 
knows  how  to  scold." 

"Antoine,   my  lad,   six    months   of    seclusion    have 


262  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

made  you  singularly  trustful.  Elsie  has  scolded  me 
ever  since  I  knew  her,  and  I've  grown  so  used  to  it  in 
the  last  few  weeks  that  I  regard  it  in  the  light  of  a 
tonic — like  quinine  or  any  other  excellent  bitter." 

*'Antoine,"  said  Elsie  in  a  stage  whisper,  ''have  you 
noticed  how  improved  in  health  and  appearance  our 
mutual  friend  Mr.  Lynn  seems  to  be  ?  It  is  all  the 
result  of  the  exercise  induced  by  trying  to  ward  off 
some  home  truths  I've  been  thrusting  at  him." 

"  Ze  fumes  of  sulphur!  "  cried  Lizzette.  "  I  protest 
zey  rise  no  higher.     I  fear  ze  combustion." 

"They  are  a  somewhat  singular  pair  of  lovers,"  in- 
terposed Margaret.  ''  It  is  a  rare  thing  when  they  are 
not  sparring,  but  as  they  seem  to  enjoy  it  and  Her- 
bert has  not  yet  asked  for  a  body-guard,  I  seldom  in- 
terpose an  objection." 

"  Which,  in  view  of  the  young  man's  unprotected  sit- 
uation, is  very  considerate  of  you,"  said  Elsie  with  a 
defiant  toss  of  her  head,  "  It  is  my  opinion,  however, 
that  there  are  more  entertaining  themes  than  the  pe- 
culiarities of  a  couple  of  commonplace  individuals. 
Mr.  Lynn,  will  you  please  give  us  a  lecture  on  good 
manners  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  do  so  when  my  audience 
narrows  to  one  listener." 

''And  he  is  before  the  mirror,"  retorted  Elsie. 

"Hush!"  said  Antoine ;  "stop  that  quarrelling! 
I'm  going  to  sing."  And  closing  his  eyes  and  crossing 
his  hands  before  him,  he  began  to  croon,  in  well-por- 
trayed negro  accent  and  intonation,  the  lines  of  a  little 
dialect  song: 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  263 

"  De  way  is  dark  an'  rough  an'  long, 
Go  slow,  hoi'  hard,  chillun  ! 
Doan't  git  too  deep  in  de  slew  ob  wrong, 
Co  slow,  hoi'  hard,  chillun  ! 

"  Dey's  cross-roads  heah  an'  cross-roads  dar, 
Go  slow,  hoi'  hard,  chillun  ! 
But  hope  is  de  sign-board  shinin'  like  a  star. 
Go  slow,  hoi'  hard,  chillun  ! 

"  Jes*  keep  a-joggin'  tru'  de  san'  an'  clay, 
Go  slow,  hoi'  hard,  chillun  ! 
Dar's  lub  at  de  eend  ob  de  "arthly  way, 
Go  slow,  hoi'  hard,  chillun  ! 

"  De  eyes  some  time  mighty  full  ob  teahs, 
Go  slow,  hoi'  hard,  chillun  ! 
But  lub  is  de  lawd  ob  de  slabe  ob  feahs, 
Go  slow,  hoi'  hard,  chillun  ! 

"  So  jes'  keep  smilin'  in  de  face  ob  woe, 
Go  slow,  hoi'  hard,  chillun  ! 
Dar's  a  happy  Ian'  whar  de  good  shall  go, 
Go  slow,  hoi'  hard,  chillun  !  " 

The  clear  soprano  voice  rolled  out  the  words  and 
notes  with  the  abandon  of  his  Ethiopian  prototype, 
and  Elsie  turned  and  laid  an  arm  around  the  lad's 
neck  as  she  exclaimed  :  ''Antoine  Minaud  !  Where  in 
the  world  did  you  find  that  song  ?  " 

**  In  here,"  said  Antoine,  significantly  tapping  his 
temple. 

"An  improvisator !  "  cried  Elsie  ecstatically.  *'  Her- 
bert, we're  in  the  presence  of  genius." 

"  So  I  perceive.  Where  did  you  discover  the  fac- 
ulty, Antoine  ?  " 

''At  the  hospital." 

'*  Can  you  improvise  instantly  ?  " 

"  Give  me  a  theme  and  see." 


264  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"Well,  take  my  lady's  eyes,"  said  Herbert  with  a 
low  bow  to  Elsie. 

"Her  nose  rather!  That  would  be  more  in  keep- 
ing," retorted  Elsie. 

"All  right,"  laughed  Antoine,  and  scarcely  a  mo- 
ment later  he  was  carolling  a  rollicking  Irish  jig  to 
words  that  seemed  to  follow  the  tune  as  if  they  had 
been  fitted  with  the  utmost  carefulness. 

"  My  lady's  nose — 

You  wouldn't  suppose 
A  poet  could  rave  about  it, 

But  as  it  lies 

Between  her  eyes, 
She  wouldn't  look  well  without  it ! 

' '  An  '  ornery '  nose 

Can  smell  a  rose, 
But  hers  has  more  to  do,  sir  ! 

It  scornful  tips 

Above  her  lips, 
At  follies  she  finds  in  you,  sir  !  " 

"Bravo,  Antoine!"  cried  Elsie,  jumping  up  and 
bringing  his  violin.     "  Now  play  it." 

And  as  the  violin  dashed  into  the  abandon  of  the 
melody,  she  grasped  Gilbert  by  the  shoulders  and  the 
two  went  whirling  off  into  a  jig. 

"  That's  inspiring,"  cried  Herbert,  catching  up  Liz- 
zette  and  dashing  after  them.  The  dishes  rattled,  the 
pictures  shook,  the  stove  trembled,  the  floors  creaked, 
but  on  they  danced,  madder  and  merrier  as  the  violin 
actually  shrieked  in  glee,  until  Margaret  cried  aghast : 

"Ho!  'Tom  the  Piper's  Son!'  Stop!  Stop!  I 
beg.     It  is  a  veritable  witches'  dance." 

"  Come  on,  my  solemn    sister,"  and    Elsie    caught 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  265 

Margaret  around  the  waist  and  dragged  her  into  the 
merry  scramble. 

"  My  poor  old  bones!  "  cried  Lizzette,  sinking  into  a 
chair.  "Antoine's  a  necromancer!  I  almost  grow 
young  again."  The  fiddle  stopped,  but  only  for  a 
moment,  for  by  a  sudden  transition  it  swept  away  into 
an  old-time  melody: 

"  Sleep  on  thy  pillow, 
Happy  and  light, 
As  the  moon  on  the  billow 
Reposes  at  night." 

The  old  fiddle  seemed  to  have  awakened  to  new  life 
under  the  touch  of  the  new  Antoine,  and  Herbert 
could  scarcely  repress  a  glow  of  satisfaction  as  he 
looked  at  the  lad.  "Specific  kindness  does  vastly 
more  for  the  world  than  general  good-will.  If  I  might 
be  permitted  to  spend  the  better  part  of  my  income 
on  this  little  circle,  I  should  feel  that  I  had  done  enough 
for  humanity;  but  the  worst  part  of  it  is,  this  little 
circle  has  such  exalted  ideas  of  independence,  and 
Elsie— bless  her  and  bother  her!— shuts  the  door  in 
my  face  continually.  I  don't  more  than  half  like  the 
muddle,  anyway!  " 

The  winter  wore  away  with  but  few  radical  changes. 
Mrs.  Mason's  opposition  to  Herbert's  marriage  to 
Elsie  showed  no  diminution,  and  after  numberless  and 
fruitless  intercessions  on  his  part  he  finally  took  up 
his  quarters  at  a  hotel,  and  Mrs.  Mason  closed  her 
house  and  went  to  Europe.  His  sister's  opposition 
and  Elsie's  persistent  refusal  to  marry  him  as  long  as 
the  present  bitterness  remained  between  them,  kept 


266  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

Herbert  in  a  constant  state  of  dissatisfaction.  The 
world  was  quite  too  much  upside  down  with  the  con- 
flict of  ideas,  and  men  no  longer  seemed  to  be  per- 
mitted to  work  out  their  own  lines  of  happiness  with 
out  treading  on  somebody's  toes.  Helen's  sole 
objection  to  Elsie  had  been  the  capacity  in  which  she 
had  served  them,  and  the  consequent  fear  of  society's 
verdict.  He  didn't  care  a  bit  more  for  Helen's  narrow 
world,  than  he  did  for  Elsie's  quixotic  schemes  for  a 
regenerated  humanity.  He  wanted  simply  to  be  happy 
in  his  own  way  and  according  to  his  highest  light. 
Helen  and  Elsie  had  both  called  him  selfish,  and  both 
from  opposite  standpoints.  As  to  the  truth  of  their 
judgments,  he  didn't  care.  He  only  knew  that  an  over- 
mastering love  for  Elsie  as  the  sweetest-natured,  most 
piquant,  and  original  woman  he  had  ever  met  held 
him  fast  in  an  irrevocable  bondage,  and  but  for  an  ob- 
stinacy on  Elsie's  part,  as  settled  as  it  was  difficult  to 
understand,  he  would  have  cut  the  Gordian  knot  by  an 
immediate  marriage  and  absolute  defiance  of  Helen. 
Lizzette  had  been  right  when  she  told  Herbert  he  did 
not  know  Elsie's  nature.  It  was  developing  a  faculty 
for  self-abnegation  that  alarmed  him.  There  were 
times  when  the  sweetest  and  most  sacred  love  shone 
in  her  eyes,  and  the  barriers  of  restraint  were  broken 
down  by  the  utmost  sympathy  of  thought  and  feeling; 
at  others  the  spirit  of  a  martyr  looked  out  from  their 
translucent  depths  and  an  invisible  yet  conscious  wall 
seemed  to  separate  them.  Herbert  trembled  in  vague 
alarm  whenever  he  encountered  this  look,  lying  but 
thinly  veiled  beneath  the  mobile  face.      But  with   a 


A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY.  267 

man's  blindness  he  could  not  see  that  the  love  which 
he  arrogated  to  himself  and  which  shut  out  the  world 
as  of  little  moment,  was  only  broadening  her  sympa- 
thies and  making  divine  revelations  of  its  beauty  and 
value.  Love  with  all  its  sacredness  and  possibilities, 
holding  close  to  the  one  dear  image  enshrined  in  the 
holy  of  holies  of  her  heart,  had  opened  wide  its  door 
to  suffering  mankind.  So  vividly  burned  the  fire  on 
the  altar  of  her  love  that  she  turned  as  if  with  out- 
stretched arms,  crying:  "  O  ye  who  are  cold  and  hun- 
gry!    Here  ye  will  find  warmth  and  shelter." 

It  is  rarely  that  a  man  understands  either  the  mo- 
tive or  development  of  a  love  like  this,  and  he  is  quite 
apt  through  ignorance  or  jealousy  to  quarrel  with  any 
of  its  various  manifestations.  To  Herbert  many  of 
Elsie's  ideas  on  the  great  and  vexed  social  questions 
of  the  day  seemed  the  acme  of  absurdity,  and  he  cher- 
ished the  fond  hope  that  when  she  was  once  trans- 
planted to  regions  of  luxurious  ease,  they  would  die 
from  inanition.  He  looked  upon  them  as  the  natural 
outgrowth  of  a  circumscribed  horizon  and  constant 
association  with  the  seamy  side  of  life.  "  When  she 
sees  what  art,  science,  culture,  and  wealth  can  do  for 
those  she  loves,  her  sympathies  will  not  wander  so  far, 
but  will  narrow  down  to  an  area  wherein  we  can  walk 
hand  in  hand." 

Thus  Herbert  often  assured  himself  as  he  became 
daily  more  conscious  of  the  undercurrent  of  feeling 
and  belief  that  was  gradually  widening  in  her  nature. 

The  winter  had  been  an  unusually  long  and  severe 
one,  and  the  resources  of  the  little  family  had  often 


268  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

been  severely  taxed  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door. 
Herbert's  alert  eyes  had  discovered  this  fact,  and  he 
had  taken  to  leaving  sundry  packages  of  groceries  and 
provisions  of  various  kinds  in  the  most  unheard-of 
places,  trusting  to  time  to  discover  them  and  good 
sense  to  appropriate  and  say  nothing  Margaret  had 
found  them  stuffed  under  the  cushions  of  the  chairs, 
behind  pictures,  tucked  under  the  book-rack,  and  im- 
pelled by  a  need  sharper  than  even  Elsie  had  guessed, 
since  into  Margaret's  hands  had  been  transferred  the 
domestic  machinery,  had,  as  Herbert  hoped,  used  them 
without  inquiry.  "  It  is  one  of  God's  balances,"  she 
said  to  herself,  ''  that  may  one  day  even  up.  It  is  a 
delicate  and  generous  act  for  which  I  can  onlv  be 
thankful  and  keep  silent." 

To  Gilbert  the  winter  had  been  a  revelation  of  suf- 
fering and  vice  that  had  only  stirred  deeper  the  pool 
of  the  living  faith  within  his  heart.  In  his  vocation 
as  peddler  he  had  found  access  to  much  of  the  hidden 
life  of  poverty  and  crime  which  escapes  even  the  most 
far-sighted  general  observers.  Wherever  he  had  been 
able  to  pierce  the  strata  of  callousness  Avhich  the  sever- 
est forms  of  poverty  invariably  create,  he  had  found 
the  same  helpless  appeal  that  has  for  so  many  genera- 
tions sounded  dov/n  the  aisles  of  time — give  us  some- 
thing to  hope  for,  believe  in,  trust  in !  Something 
palpable  that  we  can  touch,  feel,  and  know.  Inquiry  as 
to  churches  surrounding  them  usually  elicited  a  shrug 
of  the  shoulders  and  the  reply  :  "  They  are  not  for  such 
as  me.  If  I  dares  to  go,  they  talks  about  a  far-off 
God  that  I  doesn't  understand,  and  hitches  their  fine 
clothes  away  from  me  as  if  my  rags  would  pisen  'em!  " 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY  269 

The  more  that  Gilbert  came  to  know  the  impulses 
stirring  in  these  benumbed  hearts,  the  more  he  and 
Margaret  felt  the  need  of  establishing  a  ground  of  inter- 
communication between  them.  To  be  able  to  meet 
these  wretched  mortals  upon  their  own  plane  and  lead 
them  along,  by  paths  they  could  understand,  up  to  the 
great  truths  of  time  and  eternity,  and  to  make  palpa- 
ble to  them  that  God's  love  is  not  a  mere  abstraction, 
but  a  revivifying,  humanizing  influence— what  dearer 
work  could  one  ask?  And  yet  how  was  it  possible  in 
their  straightened  circumstances  to  make  even  a  be- 
ginning of  this  work?  Elsie's  fertility  of  resource 
solved  the  problem. 

''  Make  the  Busy  Fingers  Club  a  factor  in  the  case. 
Let  them  hold  their  long-talked-of  bazaar,  rent  the 
necessary  room,  and  christen  the  project  '  The  Chil- 
dren's Home  Meeting.'  Then  let  Gilbert  go  among 
his  poor,  tell  them  of  the  wonderful  violinist  and  im- 
provisator, Antoine  Minaud,  and  promise  them  a 
free  concert  on  some  Sunday  night.  After  the  con- 
cert, have  a  few  moments  for  social  intercourse,  in 
which  all  four  of  the  principal  instigators  and  abet- 
tors in  the  scheme  endeavor  to  make  the  acquaintance 
of  those  in  the  room,  and  then  let  Gilbert  or  Margaret 
give  them  a  few— only  a  few— of  the  simple  truths  of 
every-day  living  and  learning.  It  is  a  very  simple  be- 
ginning," added  Elsie  dubiously. 

''And  for  that  reason  the  best,"  said  Margaret  de- 
cidedly. 

The  members  of  the  little  club  were  enthusiastic 
abettors  of  the  scheme  as  outlined  to  them  by  Mar- 


270  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

garet  and  Elsie.  The  name  which  Elsie  had  so  hap- 
pily bestowed  upon  the  project  instantly  won  upon 
their  regard  and  made  them  noisy  advertisers  of  their 
work  throughout  the  neighborhood.  The  rooms  of  a 
member  occupying  the  lower  floor  of  the  tenement- 
house  were  secured  for  the  use  of  the  bazaar,  and 
what  audience  the  handiwork  of  the  little  folks  did 
not  attract,  the  music  of  Antoine's  violin  succeeded  in 
catching  and  holding.  Altogether  the  bazaar  was 
pronounced  a  success  by  its  delighted  originators,  and 
at  its  close  there  was  money  enough  to  pay  the  rent 
of  the  hall  for  one  night  and  possibly  two.  Then 
came  the  work  of  training  the  children  for  the  concert. 
Elsie  took  especial  care  that  every  song  should  breathe 
the  tenderness,  the  mercy,  the  helpfulness  of  divine 
love,  and  the  sweet,  clear  voices  of  the  children,  trained 
to  the  subtile  sympathy  of  expression  by  her  innate 
appreciation,  made  many  of  the  songs  long  to  be  re- 
membered. 

It  was  a  curious  and  motley  throng  that  assem- 
bled in  the  hall  one  Sunday  night  in  response  to  Gil- 
bert's invitation,  as  he  stood  at  the  door  and  took 
every  comer  by  the  hand.  Women  with  shawls  over 
their  heads,  with  babies  asleep  on  their  breasts,  men 
with  hats  pulled  low  over  eyes  that  cast  furtive  glances 
of  unrest  and  suspicion,  brazen-faced  and  gaudily- 
dressed  creatures  with  their  calling  stamped  upon  their 
countenances,  ragged  and  barefooted  children,  pale- 
faced  and  distorted  cripples,  came  slowly  and  half- 
reluctantly  into  the  room.  It  was  something  so  new, 
so  unlike  anything  they  had   ever  been  offered,  that 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  2/ 1 

they  were  more  than  half  afraid  it  was  a  trap,  and 
that  it  would  end  in  their  being  preached  at,  told  how 
vile  they  were,  and  warned  to  flee  from  the  wrath  of 
an  angry  and  a  jealous  God.  They  had  heard  these 
words  so  many  times  and  had  felt,  deep  within  dis- 
quieted and  tumultuous  bosoms,  the  wide  gulf  between 
the  prosperous  promulgators  of  the  church  and  their 
own  degraded  and  unhappy  condition.  Yet  somehow 
they  all  trusted  Gilbert ;  there  was  something  in  the 
clear,  earnest,  boyish  face  that  won  the  most  suspi- 
cious nature,  and  it  was  because  they  had  felt  that  he 
was  truly  their  friend  that  they  had  ventured  to  come. 
The  hall  was  a  barren,  smoke-begrimed,  illy-ventilated 
room,  but  Elsie  and  the  children  had  made  what  effort 
they  could  with  meagreness  of  material  to  brighten  it 
up.  Above  the  platform,  where  stood  Elsie's  organ 
and  where  the  semicircle  of  children  was  ranged, 
those  in  the  audience  who  could  read  beheld  in  large 
letters,  ''  Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to 
you,  do  ye  even  so  unto  them."  Over  the  windows 
hung  gay  cotton  banners  bearing  such  inscriptions  as 
*'  Love  is  lord  of  all."  '*A  cup  of  cold  water  to  the 
thirsty."  "A  kind  word  maketh  the  heart  glad."  ''A 
true  heart  is  one  of  earth's  jewels."  *'A  little  child 
shall  lead  them." 

Antoine's  violin  caught  the  inspiration  of  the  hour 
and  spoke  in  almost  human  tones  the  pathos,  the 
prayer,  and  the  hope  of  each  bosom.  The  airs  were 
those  of  simple,  well-known  hymns,  many  of  them  so 
familiar  as  to  be  almost  household  words,  and  when 
in  response  to  Gilbert's  invitation  the  audience  arose 


2^2  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

and  sang  the  choruses,  there  were  not  many  lips  that 
remained  motionless.  They  had  doubtless  heretofore 
been  hummed  many  times  by  the  same  careless,  un- 
thinking voices;  now  they  seemed  to  strike  deep  into 
some  inner  fibre  of  feeling,  and  many  a  furtive  tear 
rolled  from  beneath  quivering  and  down-cast  lashes. 
The  children  sang,  as  Elsie  declared,  ''  like  little 
angels;"  but  the  crowning  event  of  the  evening  was 
Antoine's  improvisation.  Advancing  to  the  center  of 
the  platform  on  his  one  crutch,  he  began  in  a  low, 
plaintive,  and  touchingly-sweet  voice: 

"  My  heart  is  sair  wi'  muckle  woe, 

God  knows!  God  knows! 

I  ken  nae  mair  the  way  to  go, 

God  knows  ! 

"  My  feet  are  cut,  my  shoon  are  gane, 
God  knows!  God  knows! 
And  every  step  is  hurt  wi'  pain, 

God  knows  ! 

**  Nae  light  is  roun'  aboot  my  way, 
God  knows!  God  knows! 
I  canna  see  the  sun  of  day,  .     . 

God  knows  ! 

I  faint  and  fall  in  sairest  need, 

God  knows!  God  knows! 
And  men  go  by  wi'  little  heed, 

God  knows  ! 

"  Sae  little  costs  the  kindly  word, 

God  knows !  God  knows ! 

Sae  sad  it  is  sae  seldom  heard, 

God  knows  ! 

"  Sae  bitter  is  the  thirsting  lip, 
God  knows!  God  knows! 
Some  time  mayhap  love's  cup  we'll  sip, 
God  knows  ! " 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  273 

Before  Antoine  had  finished,  men  and  women  were 

rocking  back  and  forth  and  sobbing  like  children,  and 

when  the  last  strains  of  the  song  died  away,  it  seemed 

minutes  before  any  one  spoke,  and  then  a  woman,  who  an 

hour  before  had  entered  the  room  with  a  brazen  face  and 

a   foul-mouthed  ejaculation,  cried  out  in  heart-broken 

tones:  ''  Oh,  sing  it  again— God  knows!  God  knows!  '* 

Softly,  as  if  taken  up  and  echoed  by  angel  voices, 

Antoine  sang  once  more  the  last  stanza,  and  before 

the  lingering  notes  were  lost  on  the  air,  he  was  at  the 

woman's  side  clasping  her  hand  in  his. 

Instantly  Gilbert,  with  Margaret  and  Elsie  on  either 

side  and  Lizzette  and  the  children  following,  left  the 

platform  to  mingle  with  and  take  the  hands  of  those 

present.     They  passed    among   them   with  words   of 

cheer  and  good-will,  and  when  order  was  again  called, 

there  was  an  unmistakable  look  of  eager  expectancy 

upon  the  faces  that  was  balm  to  the  watchful  eyes  of 

Margaret  and  Gilbert.     Advancing  to  the  front  of  the 

platform,  the  latter  said  simply: 

"  My  friends:  I  am  glad  you  trusted  me  sufficiently 

to  come  here  to-night.     We  hope  to  have  many  more 

such  nights  together,  and  I  only  ask  you  in  going  away 

to  remember  that,  sad  as  is  the  pathway  of  life  for 

many  of  us,  there  is  light  ahead.     The  soul  of  man 

through  which  God  seeks  to  work  the  salvation  of  the 

world  is  not  dead  but  sleepeth.     Slowly  it  is  awaking, 

and  love  that  abides  in  the  world  shall  some  time  teach 

men  that  its  universal  practice  must  be  "Whatsoever 

ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so 

unto  them.'  " 
18 


2/4  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

As  the  winter  grew  into  early  spring,  the  fame  of 
the  Children's  Home  Meetings  spread  so  rapidly  that  a 
larger  audience-room  became  an  imperative  necessity. 
The  churches  began  to  inquire  into  the  matter,  and 
Margaret  and  Gilbert  were  beset  with  questions  as  to 
their  creed  and  purpose.  To  all  such  they  gave  an- 
swer, "  Our  only  creed  is  love,  and  our  only  purpose 
to  help  each  other." 

"Too  vague  and  indefinite;  the  structure  will  fall 
for  lack  of  proper  support.  You  ought  at  least  to 
have  a  set  of  rules." 

"So  we  have,"  replied  Margaret,  "but  they  spring 
from  the  need  of  the  hour.  We  have  order  at  our 
meetings  because  even  disorderly  natures  find  that  to 
keep  the  peace  best  subserves  the  interest  they  feel  in 
the  all-pervading  friendship  we  are  seeking  to  estab- 
lish. Beyond  this  we  keep  in  sight,  although  not  ob- 
trusively, the  axiom,  if  such  it  may  be  called,  that  the 
interest  of  one  is  the  interest  of  all,  and  transversely, 
that  the  interest  of  all  is  the  interest  of  one.  When 
these  simple  truths  have  become  the  bone  and  sinew 
of  belief  and  practice,  then  we  may  go  a  few  steps 
farther  as  the  way  opens  and  light  dawms." 

"You    must    have    an    ultimate    line    of   procedure 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  2/5 

marked  out— some  plan  as  to  its  religious  aspect,  have 
you  not  ?  " 

''  We  teach  no  so-called  system  of  theology.  Since 
atheists,  infidels,  deists,  and  trinitarians  all  meet  upon 
the  common  ground  that  the  civilized  world  has  never 
beheld  a  grander  epitome  of  what  is  called  '  living ' 
than  that  afforded  by  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  we  are  con- 
tent to  forego  modern  complications  of  creeds  and 
isms  and  establish  among  ourselves  the  fundamental 
truths  taught  by  Jesus  and,  better  yet,  practised  by 
Him.  In  doing  this  we  think  we  shall  better  both 
man's  desires  and  surroundings.  This  idea,  carried  to 
its  logical  conclusion,  is  so  far-reaching  that  inequali- 
ties of  opportunity  will  fall  away  as  if  by  magic  and 
the  now  unceasing  mutterings  of  discontent  and  strife 
will  be  one  day  relegated  to  a  past  age  of  unconscion- 
able greed  and  injustice." 

"  The  church  has  been  striving  to  accomplish  this 
for  eighteen  hundred  years.  How  can  you  expect, 
with  no  trained  organization,  to  reach  so  beatific  a 
state  of  society  ?  " 

"  Because  we  shall  not  do  as  the  church  does  and 
partition  the  goats  from  the  sheep.  We  shall  practice 
no  exclusion,  no  worship  of  mammon,  and  shall  ac- 
knowledge no  caste  except  that  of  heart  and  brain. 
Personally  I  do  not  look  beyond  the  good  of  the  pres- 
ent hour;  if  that  is  rightfully  spent  the  future  will  take 
care  of  itself.  Indeed,  our  effort  is  much  like  guiding 
the  first  steps  of  the  child ;  development  must  come 
with  years  and  growth." 

"  Well,  you  have  a  good  motive  and  are  an  earnest 


2/6  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

advocate.     We  shall  watch  your  progress  with  interest 
and  wish  you  God-speed." 

These  words  were  but  a  type  of  the  interest  the 
movement  aroused  among  cultured  and  progressive 
thinkers  who  came  to  watch  and  listen  and  went  away 
to  ponder.  Margaret  and  Gilbert,  ever  watchful  of 
the  trend  of  current  thought,  smiled  hopefully  at  each 
other  when,  in  the  columns  of  their  daily  paper,  they 
read  the  announcement  of  sermons  on  such  topics  as 
"The  Era  of  Religious  Harmony:  What  Signs  of  its 
Approach  ?  What  can  we  do  to  Hasten  it  ?  '  "  The 
Co-operative  Principle  in  Morals."  "  The  Ethics  of 
the     Eieht-hour     Movement."       "  Religious    Commu- 


nism." 


"  The  way  is  clearing  for  us,"  said  Margaret  eagerly. 
*'  Thought  is  awake  and  we  are  only  followers  in  the 
march  of  progress;  we  are  not  even  forerunners." 

"And  yet  we  are  looked  upon  with  suspicion  by  a 
great  many  well-meaning  people.  The  conservative 
element  in  the  church  regards  our  ideas  as  subversive 
and  dangerous." 

"  So  thought  the  money-changers  in  the  temple  when 
Jesus  drove  them  out.  What  are  we  attempting  to 
do,  indeed,  but  re-establish  the  line  of  faith  on  which 
the  church  has  built  itself  ?  And  if  in  doing  this  we 
brush  some  of  our  plebeian,  homespun  ideas  against  a 
shocked  silken-coated  aristocratic  culture,  we  may  ad- 
vance the  price  of  homespun  in  the  market,  if  nothing 
more.  I  am  not  afraid  for  our  cause,  since  it  is  iden- 
tical with  everlasting  truth." 

"Yes,  and  walks  hand  in  hand  with  the  heart-hun- 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  2// 

gry  and  soul-begging  mortal !  Margaret,  every  time 
I  stretch  out  my  hand  to  one  who  has  need  of  a 
friend,  I  feel  that  the  grandeur  of  that  Life  which  is 
enthroned  in  my  conscience  and  teaches  me  to  aspire 
to  the  highest  development,  is  something  infinitely 
greater  than  the  same  truth  could  have  been  as  a  mere 
abstraction.  Jesus,  the  Nazarene,  a  man  among  men, 
makes  possible  all  that  is  highest  in  human  endeavor. 
A  philosophy  as  old  as  the  earliest  time  and  as  funda- 
mentally true  as  God  himself,  that  *  Nobility  arises 
from  individual  virtue  and  not  from  Abraham's  blood,' 
and  which  Jesus  made  so  potent  when  He  walked  the 
earth,  needs  now,  as  then,  apostles  who  fear  not  to 
preach  the  truth.  It  underlies  in  all  its  simplicity 
every  system  of  religion  and  statecraft,  and  yet  it  is 
ignored,  brow-beaten,  trampled  under  foot,  and  sneered 
at  by  those  who  seek  power  at  the  expense  of  all  that 
is  noblest  in  man.  Oh,  had  I  a  thousand  tongues  I 
could  not  hurl  these  old  truths  at  the  world  fast 
enough!  " 

Flushed  and  tremulous  with  feeling,  Gilbert  walked 
up  arid  down  the  room,  pouring  out  the  flood  of  ideas 
which  his  work  called  into  activity. 

"  Social  well-being,  industrial  thrift,  active  con- 
sciences— let  us  place  these  in  the  corner-stone  of  the 
new  structure.  Religion  has  been  '  set  apart  *  too 
long;  so  long,  indeed,  that  within  its  doors  have  crept 
the  monsters  of  greed,  gold-worship,  and  place-hunt- 
ing, until  its  higher  and  holier  meanings  have  been 
well-nigh  crowded  out.  What,  indeed,  does  man  want 
of  a  religion  that  does  not  permeate  every  hope,  de- 


2/8  A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY. 

sire,  and  action  of  life  ?  We  must  bring  it  down  from 
its  idealized  height  and  make  it  common  as  the  air  we 
breathe  and  the  bread  we  eat.  Then  indeed  may  man, 
glancing  upward,  behold  the  dawn  of  a  new  and  hap- 
pier day  I  " 

It  was  a  day  or  two  later  that  Herbert  and  Elsie 
were  at  the  organ  trying  a  new  piece  of  music,  which 
accidentally  slipping  from  its  rack  fell  behind  the  organ 
as  it  stood  diagonally  across  the  room.  In  rolling  the 
organ  out  Elsie  discovered  a  market  basket  full  of 
groceries  hidden  in  the  corner. 

"  Where  in  the  world  did  that  basket  come  from,  and 
what  a  strange  place  to  put  it  I  "  cried  Elsie  in  amaze- 
m.ent.  As  she  glanced  at  Herbert  his  flushed,  uneasy 
face  told  the  whole  story. 

"  I  am  exceedingly  obliged  to  your  estimate  of  us  as 
objects  of  charity!  "  she  exclaimed,  placing  the  basket 
in  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  standing  over  it  with 
the  air  of  a  queen  of  tragedy. 

Herbert  could  not  forbear  a  laugh,  and  there  was 
a  trifle  of  malice  in  the  tone  with  which  he  said :  "  It 
seems  to  me  there  is  a  striking  conflict  of  ideas  be- 
tween the  democracy  you  preach  and  practice  at  the 
Children's  Home  Meetings  I  hear  so  much  about,  and 
the  aristocracy  of  pride  you  practice  at  home  and 
toward  those  whom  you  ought  to  trust." 

Elsie  winced  under  the  home  thrust,  and  with  the 
quickness  with  which  she  could  judge  herself,  answered 
contritely:  "  I  know  I  am  proud,  Herbert;  but  I  think 
it  is  an  honorable  pride.  At  least  so  I  have  always 
considered  pride  of  character,  and  it  always  <^2^  hurt 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  279 

when  anything  struck  at  my  independence.  It  isn't  as 
if  I  were  sick,  or  incapable,  or " 

"  Exhibited  a  proper  humility  of  spirit,  instead  of  an 
obstinate  and  irritating  pride,"  interrupted  Herbert. 

**Am  I  irritating?"  asked  Elsie  simply.  *' In  what 
way  ?  " 

"  In  ever  so  many  ways/'  answered  Herbert,  evi- 
dently bent  on  fault-finding.  '^  I  seem  to  count  but  a 
cipher  in  your  estimation  beside  some  of  these  over- 
mastering ideas  of  yours.  If  I  exhibit  a  generous  mo- 
tive toward  you,  you  smother  it " 

''  In  kisses,"  she  cried,  throwing  her  arms  around  his 
neck  and  proceeding  to  stop  further  explanation. 
"  Herbert  Lynn,"  she  added,  drawing  a  long  breath 
after  the  bit  of  violent  exercise  above  recorded,  "you're 
a  most  ungrateful  man !  Now  don't  bluster,  for  it 
won't  do  one  bit  of  good.  I'm  going  to  tell  you  some- 
thing new.  I  love  you  more  than  any  man  in  the 
world — that  is,  any  I've  met  so  far!  Keep  still!  and 
I'm  going  to  do  an  exceedingly  generous  action;  I'm 
going  to  keep  the  groceries,  and  drop  you  a  courtesy 
of   the   properly  humble   kind,  and   say,  *  Thank  you 

kindly,  sir  !    May  heaven's  blessings  shower '  Why, 

what  is  the  matter  ?  You  won't  even  wait  for  the 
proper  ending  of  the  performance." 

Herbert  shook  himself  loose  from  her  detaining  arm 
and  walked  to  the  window  with  a  highly-ofTended  air. 

The  laugh  on  Elsie's  lips  and  in  her  eyes  died  away, 
and  after  a  moment's  pondering  she  followed  him  and 
said  penitently:  "  Forgive  me,  Herbert;  you  know  I 
love  you  more  than " 


28o  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

*'  What  ?  "  asked  Herbert  suspiciously. 

''  Money,"  said  Elsie  sententiously. 

*'Bah!"  exclaimed  Herbert,  angrily. 

''  Be  calm,  my  friend  !  Now  look  me  squarely  in  the 
eyes  and  behold  your  image  reflected  there  as — I'm  in 
earnest  now — truly  it  is  engraven  on  my  heart,  never 
to  be  erased  as  long  as  I  live." 

Herbert's  reply  was  that  speech  of  silence  so  elo- 
quent to  the  ears  of  all  lovers,  and  for  the  time  being 
it  bridged  over  the  tide  of  their  differences. 

"  Herbert,"  said  Elsie,  when  the  silence  had  been 
effectively  disposed  of,  *'  why  do  you  never  come  to  the 
Children's  Home  Meetings  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place,  because  I've  never  been  asked, 
and  in  the  second  place,  I'm  not  altogether  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  movement." 

A  sudden  pang  shot  through  Elsie's  heart.  ''  Please 
explain,"  she  said  quietly. 

**  Well,  probably  my  reasons  are  selfish  awd  personal. 
I  believe  you  know  that  I  am  somewhat  generous  at 
heart,  that  I  am  in  the  main  humanity's  well-wisher, 
and  that  I  am  ever  ready  to  relieve  a  specific  case  of 
distress ;  but  I  do  not  feel  as  if  I  wanted  the  girl  who 
is  to  be  my  wife  hand  in  glove  with  the  riff-raff  of 
society." 

"  The  riff-raff  of  society !  "  repeated  Elsie  wonder- 
ingly.  ''Who  are  they?  How  am  I  hand  in  glove 
with  them  ?  " 

''Well,  from  what  I  hear,"  answered  Herbert  uneas- 
ily, "  you  not  only  talk  the  gospel  of  love  in  its  broad- 
est sense  to  women  of  the  vilest  stamp,  but  you  take 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  28 1 

their  hands  when  it  is  pollution  to  touch  them,  you  sit 
beside  them  and  try  to  teach  them  truths  they  are  too 
dulled  and  besotted  to  learn,  and  while  you  are,  I  must 
admit,  an  angel  of  light,  you  are  but  a  mock  for  their  vile 
tongues,  and  make,  I  fear,  only  questionable  progress." 

"Go  on,"  said  Elsie  faintly  as  Herbert  paused. 

"  There  is  a  spirit  of  unrest  and  dissatisfaction  abroad 
which  I  think  your  efforts  will  do  much  to  incite  in- 
stead of  quell.  I  do  not  question  your  motives,  but 
I  do  question  your  methods.  Let  them  alone,  Elsie, 
darling,  and  be  content  to  shine  at  the  hearth-stone  of 
those  who  love  you.  Intensify  your  light  for  me,  in- 
stead of  diffusing  it  until  it  is  as  thin  and  almost  as 
cold  as  moonshine." 

There  was  no  fire  of  playful  fancy  in  the  eyes  that 
met  Herbert's  as  Elsie  raised  her  head  from  his 
shoulder.  He  started  as  he  saw  the  dull,  cold  hope- 
lessness beneath  the  heavily-fringed  eyelids. 

"O  Herbert!  Herbert!"  she  cried  despairingly. 
''Why  do  you  ask  this?  Why  did  you  ever  learn  to 
love  me  ?  I  told  you  it  was  a  mistake!  I  am  one  of 
these  common  people  whom  you  despise.  I  can  no 
more  shut  out  my  aspirations,  hopes,  dreams,  and 
efforts  for  them  than  I  can  cut  off  my  right  hand.  I 
have  fed  on  these  thoughts  until  they  have  become 
bone  and  sinew.  You  knew  us,  you  knew  our  methods 
— why,  oh,  why  did  you  learn  to  love  me  ?  " 

"  For  the  very  reason  that  you  are  not  one  of  the 
common  people.  I  have,  I  think,  told  you  several 
times  before  that  I  am  not  so  blind  I  cannot  tell  a 
jewel  regardless  of  its  environment.     I  loved  you  de- 


282  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

Spite  education,  surroundings,  social  pride,  everything. 
I  swept  away  every  obstacle  to  call  you  mine,  and  I 
care  nothing  for  the  world's  verdict.  I  only  want  you 
for  myself,  queen  of  my  heart  and  home,  adored  as  Its 
sovereign  light,  surrounded  by  all  that  the  eye  delights 
in  or  the  heart  can  ask." 

''  No,  not  all,"  said  Elsie  quietly. 

"What  else?"  asked  Herbert  eagerly.  "You  shall 
have  everything  that  love  or  wealth  can  procure." 

"  Can  they  buy  a  quiet  conscience  ?  " 

Herbert  shrank  back.  "  I  think  you  exaggerate  the 
matter,"  he  said  hastily.  "  I  cannot  see  that  the  con- 
science is  called  into  question." 

"  I  can,"  said  Elsie  decidedly.  "  I  had  a  heritage 
left  me,  here,"  and  she  placed  her  hand  upon  her  breast 
as  she  spoke,  "  and  daily  and  hourly  It  tells  me  that  if 
I  selfishly  lock  up  my  God-given  sympathies  and  turn 
away  from  the  Impulses  of  my  better  nature,  I  am 
committing  a  crime  whose  punishment  is  no  less 
severe  because  eternity  shall  judge  It." 

"  Elsie  !  Elsie !  "  cried  Herbert,  awed  Into  a  great  fear 
by  the  solemnity  of  her  words,  "you  shall  be  the 
dispenser  of  charity  as  bounteous  as  you  desire." 

"And  yet  be  forbidden  to  soil  my  hands  by  contact 
with  poverty  or  crime.  No,  we  have  too  much  of  that 
sort  of  charity  already.  Besides,  do  you  not  see,  Her- 
bert, that  there  could  be  no  happiness  for  us  holding 
such  opposite  views  as  we  do  ?  Marriage  Is  too  holy 
to  admit  a  division  of  sentiment  and  endeavor  between 
husband  and  wife.  Ah,  T  have  been  so  weak  to  per- 
mit a  love  that  I  knew  could  only  bring  disaster  !  " 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  283 

*'  It  is  only  a  few  moments  ago  that  you  assured 
me  you  loved  me  for  all  time." 

"I  do." 

''And  yet  you  can  throw  me  over  for  a  disordered 
society  that  never  will  appreciate  an  iota  of  your  sac- 
rifice." 

*'  You  are  mistaken  !  The  sacrifice  appeases  a  deeper 
and  holier  feeling." 

''  You  have  a  very  strange  way  of  reasoning,  it  seems 
to  me,"  said  Herbert  bitterly.  ''You  rob  Peter  to 
pay  Paul  with  surprising  alacrity." 

The  look  that  Elsie  turned  upon  him  was  so  filled 
with  agony  that  he  cried  remorsefully  as  he  caught 
her  hand  and  endeavored  to  draw  her  toward  him : 
"  Forgive  me,  Elsie,  darling!  I  am  not  worthy  of  your 
love,  I  know;  but  I  hunger  so  for  it — I  can't  give  it 
up !  " 

Elsie  drew  back  with  the  despairing  cry,  "We  are 
so  wide  apart,  Herbert." 

"We  needn't  be  if  you  would  trust  more  to  me  and 
less  to  that  hypersensitive  soul  of  yours." 

A  look  of  scorn  not  usual  to  Elsie's  face  met  Her- 
bert's appealing  gaze.  She  rose  to  her  feet  and  stood 
stiffly  before  him. 

"You  are  centuries  too  late.  My  hypersensitive 
soul  has  a  right  to  its  own  distinct  existence.  Your 
prescience  should  have  told  you  how  little  I  could  strike 
palms  with  you  in  utter  self-annihilation." 

A  faint  smile  crossed  Herbert's  face  at  Elsie's  gran- 
diloquent words  and  air,  but  it  died  quickly  away  as 
she  swept  haughtily  from   the  room  and  would  not 


284  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

come  back,  though  he  called  her  repeatedly.  Angrily 
he  snatched  his  hat  and  left  the  house.  Abused,  in- 
sulted, hurt,  misunderstood,  he  felt  himself  to  be,  and 
the  more  he  reviewed  the  situation  the  more  he  felt 
that  Elsie's  obstinacy,  as  he  termed  it,  had  raised  an 
impassible  barrier  between  them.  Still  his  heart  would 
not  be  stifled,  and  it  was  not  till  after  dispatching  a 
note  to  her  and  despairingly  reading  her  answer — that 
marriage  between  people  so  distinctly  at  variance  could 
never  bring  happiness — that  he  wholly  lost  hope.  It 
was  but  the  work  of  a  few  hours  to  make  arrange- 
ments to  join  his  sister  abroad.  At  the  last  moment 
he  dispatched  a  note  to  Elsie  containing  these  words: 
''  I  have  placed  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  in  the 

C National   Bank,  subject   to   your   call.     If  you 

love  me  as  devotedly  as  I  can  assure  you  I  shall  ever 
cherish  your  memory,  you  cannot  do  less  than  make  me 
happy  by  using  it.  You  owe  me  this  small  recom- 
pense for  the  suffering  that  will  be  mine  to  the  day  of 
my  death." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  '  285 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

To  Margaret  alone  Elsie  opened  the  flood-gates  of 
her  heart,  and  it  was  only  after  days  of  overwhelming 
grief  that  she  could  again  take  up  the  burden  of  life. 
Margaret's  tears  of  sisterly  sympathy  and  words  of 
counsel  could  not  at  first  still  the  torrent  of  heart- 
broken tears  with  which  she  mourned  her  lost  love. 
Not  even  Herbert  had  known  how  precious  it  had  been 
to  her — how  everything  high  and  holy  had  seemed  to 
be  the  offspring  of  that  vitalizing  force  in  her  heart. 
Now,  because  having  lived  up  to  its  highest  revela- 
tions and  endeavored  to  be  true  to  its  holiest  pur- 
poses, she  had  crossed  a  counter-current  of  thought 
and  will,  this  love  had  been  taken  from  her.  Had  she 
been  wrong,  opinionated,  obstinate,  as  Herbert  called 
her  ?  Had  she  forgotten  the  sweet  submission  of  the 
weaker  unto  the  stronger  in  that  natural  order  of  di- 
vine and  human  love  which  popular  clamor  voices  as 
the  proper  sphere  of  woman  ?  Often  as  she  asked  her- 
self these  questions — and  with  the  not  unnatural  hope 
of  finding  herself  in  the  wrong,  since  her  heart  prompted 
the  slave-like  humility  of  a  perfect  love— just  so  often 
conscience  answered,  ''No!"  Stronger  still,  as  she 
reasoned,  grew  the  feeling  that  her  soul  had  a  right  to 
its  ovv'n  individuality,  and  that  whatever  it  cost  her, 
she  had  no  right  to  bind  its  wings,  even  though  the 


286  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

fetters  were  silken  and  lightly  held  by  the  hand  of 
love.  Neither  Margaret,  Lizzette,  Antoine,  nor  Gilbert 
dared  offer  a  verbal  sympathy  to  the  sore  heart  behind 
the  white,  set  face  that  confronted  them  when  Elsie 
had  fought  her  battle  alone.  The  sparkle  was  irre- 
trievably gone  from  the  dark  eyes,  and  the  curved  lips 
drooped  pitifully  at  times;  but  in  all  the  earnestness 
of  purpose,  the  kindliness  of  spirit,  she  was  still  the 
same  Elsie. 

The  work  of  the  Children's  Home  Meetings  grew 
almost  hourly  under  her  efforts;  for  now  that  she  had 
sacrificed  her  heart  on  the  altar  of  this  work,  she  meant 
to  make  the  sacrifice  acceptable  in  its  good  results. 
Every  hour  that  she  and  Margaret  could  snatch  from 
the  demands  of  their  daily  work,  they  spent  in  forming 
what  they  called  ''  Conscience  Classes."  The  system  of 
ethics  taught  was  as  simple  as  the  minds  with  which 
they  came  in  contact,  and  bore  the  stamp  of  the  ever- 
living  truth.  The  magnetic  presence  of  the  four  chief 
workers  grew  to  be  a  living  delight  to  all  who  came 
from  motives  of  curiosity  or  interest  within  its  circle. 
Beginning  at  first  only  with  what  Herbert  had  been 
pleased  to  term  ''the  riff-raff  of  society,"  the  circum- 
ference of  the  circle  had  gradually  widened  until  a 
better-educated  and  more  self-respecting  class  had 
found  its  way  among  them.  Yet  even  with  intelli- 
gence gaining  upon  them,  the  one  great  need  of  basing 
all  reform,  all  happiness,  all  prosperity  upon  the  code 
of  ethics  which,  while  it  demands  the  highest  develop- 
ment of  the  individual,  yet  takes  its  inspiration  from 
the  thought  of  a  common  welfare,  was  never  lost  sight 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  28/ 

of.  Earnestness  is  the  great  lever  of  the  world,  and 
while  there  were  many  to  oppose  the  idea  as  of  dis- 
proportionate value  to  the  need  and  development  of 
the  times,  the  effort  still  found  many  adherents.  To 
be  called  cranks,  laughed  at  by  unbelievers,  and  de- 
rided by  the  class  for  which  nothing  is  holy  but  suc- 
cess, came  to  be,  as  Elsie  said,  "  normal  as  the  air  they 
breathed ;  "  but  after  the  first  sharp  sting  these  shafts 
remained  unnoticed,  and  the  one  or  two  perishing 
ones  uplifted,  helped  into  the  light  and  warmed  by 
the  sunshine  of  human  kindliness  into  a  knowledge  of 
the  great  inspirer  of  their  work,  was  balm  enough  to 
heal  all  the  wounds  of  a  scoffing  world. 

Margaret  had  also  formed  a  Mother's  Class,  in  which 
everything  pertaining  to  motherhood  and  its  duties, 
was  thoughtfully  discussed.  This  class  came  in  time 
to  be  presided  over  by  Mrs.  Carson,  who,  partially  re- 
covered, found  no  greater  delight  than  in  seconding 
the  good  work  which  had  saved  her  in  her  hour  of 
need.  The  Daughters  of  the  Carpenter  was  a  class 
headed  by  Elsie  and  especially  devoted  to  helpfulness 
wherever  it  was  needed.  A  list  of  the  regular  at- 
tendants of  the  meeting  was  kept,  and  if  a  mother  was 
found  to  be  sick  or  overworked,  some  one  of  the 
Daughters  was  appointed  to  render  the  needed  assist- 
ance. Among  the  men  and  elder  boys  Gilbert  formed 
a  reading  class,  in  which  history  and  the  science  of 
government  were  brought  down  to  the  comprehension 
of  the  illiterate,  and  men  were  shown  that  if  they  were 
dissatisfied  with  existing  social  conditions,  the  remedy 
lay  in  their  own  hands  in  a  rightful  use  of  the  ballot, 


288  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

and  that  if  they  sold  that  ballot  to  a  ring  or  combina- 
tion they  only  forged  new  links  in  the  chains  that 
bound  them  to  a  slavery  against  which  they  were  con- 
stantly rebelling.  Nor  were  the  children  forgotten  in 
this  work.  Every  original  "  Busy  Fingers  "  boy  and 
girl  had  a  new  class,  in  which  were  resown  the  good 
seeds  implanted  by  Margaret  and  Gilbert.  Thought 
and  action  were  growing  slowly  but  surely  in  the  little 
community;  but  already  a  serious  question  was  con- 
fronting them.  The  rental  of  the  hall  had  easily  been 
effected  by  the  subscription  of  a  few  cents  from  every 
regular  attendant ;  but  the  work,  especially  among  the 
mothers'  and  children's  classes,  required  money  to  pros- 
ecute it.  They  were  all  poor,  living  from  hand  to 
mouth,  and  while  the  work  was  growing  there  was  no 
money  to  help  the  growth. 

'' O  Margaret,"  moaned  Elsie,  ''if  the  money  Her- 
bert left  me  had  only  been  left  to  our  beloved  work, 
how  gladly  I  would  use  it !  Now,  knowing  how  he 
feels  about  it,  I  can  never  touch  it." 

It  was  nearing  midsummer,  and  the  work  among 
their  members  was  increasing  fast,  by  reason  of  sick- 
ness brought  on  by  living  in  noisome  atmospheres  and 
without  proper  food  and  care.  Gilbert  had  come 
home  from  his  daily  rounds  one  evening,  the  most  of 
his  cases  unsold,  and  with  an  unusual  dejection  of  face 
and  manner. 

"  I  am  comfortless,"  he  said,  "  for  lack  of  the  dross 
of  earth.  I  have  seen  such  realization  of  human  suf- 
fering to-day  without  the  power  to  alleviate  that  I  am 
in  despair.     I  gained  admittance  to  one  room,  where 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  289 

a  mother  and  her  new-born  babe  lay  dead  for  lack  of 
care,  while  a  couple  of  little  ones  were  begging  her  to 
give  them  something  to  eat.  I  had  but  ten  cents  in 
my  pocket  that  I  had  saved  for  street  car-fare ;  but  I 
rushed  out,  got  the  children  some  buns,  and  aroused 
the  other  inmates  of  the  house,  who  were  themselves 
too  poor  to  do  more  than  care  for  the  children  tem- 
porarily, while  I  called  in  the  authorities  and  had  the 
body  disposed  of  in  the  potter's  field.  How  are  we 
going  to  make  this  work  of  ours  reach  such  cases  vvith- 
out  money  ?  I  shall  have  to  go  begging  to-morrow. 
I  had  hoped  that  our  work  would  so  speak  for  itself 
that  we  would  not  need  to  beg;  but  to-morrow  I  must 
endeavor  to  start  a  fund  of  some  kind." 

As  Gilbert  ceased  speaking,  the  open  door  was 
darkened  by  the  form  of  a  tall,  handsome  woman 
dressed  in  deep  mourning,  whom  Elsie  at  once  recog- 
nized as  Alice  Houghton.  She  turned  with  out- 
stretched hand  to  Elsie.  ''There  is  no  need  of  intro- 
ducing myself  to  you,"  she  said,  smiling,  "but  as  I 
came  to  see  your  sister,  will  you  make  me  known  to 
her,  and  your  brother  also  ?  " 

The  introductions  over,  Miss  Houghton  at  once  en- 
tered upon  the  object  of  her  visit.  ''  I  have  come  to 
you,  Miss  Murchison,  for  help.  I  have  recently  been 
sadly  bereaved  in  the  loss  of  one  I  loved,  and  life  has 
very  nearly  lost  its  charms  for  me.  I  have  been  hear- 
ing a  good  deal  of  your  work  lately,  and  I  want  you 
to  teach  me  to  find  forgetfulness  in  what  is  evidently 
very  great  happiness  to  you." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  wish  to  become  one  of  us  ?  " 
19 


290  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

''  That  is  my  meaning.     I  shall  gladly  be  your  ser 
vant  in  any  work  you  may  have  for  me." 

'*  To  have  a  servant  would  be  something  new  in  my 
experience,"  said  Margaret,  smiling;  "but  we  shall  all 
be  glad  of  help.  Have  you  any  knowledge  of  our 
work  ?  It  is  not  agreeable  only  from  one  standpoint. 
There  isn't  the  least  aestheticism,  superficially  speak- 
ing, about  it." 

"  I  do  not  believe  I  shall  be  afraid  to  try  it.  I  know 
you  three  alone,  unaided,  without  money  or  friends, 
have  been  doing  a  work  that  is  already  forcing  its  way 
into  notice  by  reason  of  its  unselfishness.  I  have 
money,  much  beyond  my  needs,  and  as  I  learn  of  the 
help  you  have  given  to  many  sufferers,  I  feel  sure  that 
I  can  abet  your  efforts,  with  money  if  not  judgment." 

Elsie  sprang  from  her  chair  and  impulsively  held  out 
her  hand  to  Miss  Houghton.  "  We  have  such  need  of 
money,"  she  cried,  "  and  you  seem  like  a  providence  of 
God." 

''You  are  more  willing  to  accept  money  from  me 
now  than  you  were  once  before,"  laughed  Miss  Hough- 
ton." 

''That  was  unearned;  this  is  for  the  bettering  of 
God's  poor." 

"  Your  pride  struck  me  as  strange  then.  I  under- 
stand it  better  now." 

"  And  appreciate  its  motive,  I  hope,"  said  Elsie  wist- 
fully. 

"  Indeed  I  do,  my  dear  child ;  and  if  the  pride  of  the 
world  had  a  similar  foundation  there  would  not  be 
such  a  war  of  caste  as  afflicts  society  to-day." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  29 1 

Fearful  from  Elsie's  flushed  face  and  her  knowledge 
of  Helen  Mason's  opposition  to  Herbert's  marriage 
that  in  her  last  words  she  had  unwittingly  trenched 
upon  delicate  ground,  she  slipped  an  arm  around  Elsie's 
waist,  saying :  "  Tell  me,  my  dear,  why  did  you  send 
Herbert  away  ?  " 

It  was  a  difificult  matter  for  Elsie  to  summon  self- 
command  enough  to  reply;  but  with  a  face  from  which 
the  color  quickly  receded  she  faltered:  "We  differed 
so  much  in  our  views  that  there  was  no  reconciling 
them." 

"Then  Helen  was  not  wholly  responsible?" 

"  No,  she  was  not  responsible  at  all.  Mr.  Lynn's 
education  and  mine  had  been  from  such  widely-differ- 
ent standpoints  that  the  wonder  is  our  ideas  ever 
came  into  conflict.  It  has  always  been  a  mystery  to 
me  why  Mr.  Lynn  ever  chose  to  think — '- — " 

"  It  is  a  wonder,"  interrupted  Alice  Houghton  dryly 
as  she  bent  down  and  kissed  Elsie's  cheek.  "  I 
wouldn't  mourn,  my  dear,  for  a  man  vvdio  couldn't 
pocket  a  fev/  whims  to  make  me  happy." 

"  But  you  don't  know,"  said  Elsie  seriously;  "  it  was 
no  whim  on  my  part,  for  I  seemed  to  belong  here  to 
this  work.     I  could  not  give  it  up  and  be  happy." 

"  Ah,  well,  Herbert  Lynn  has  lost  the  best  of  his  life, 
and  yet  it  is  only  a  few  months  ago  that  I  looked 
through  his  spectacles.  It  is  strange  how  contact  with 
sorrow  opens  our  eyes  to  the  true  value  of  qualities 
we  did  not  notice  before.  Elsie,  you  must  let  me  work 
beside  you,  under  the  guidance  of  this  wise  sister  of 
yours,  and  try  to  find  the  same  peace  you  are  seeking. 


292  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

We  seem  to  have  met  here  from  widely-different  paths. 
I  gave  up  all  for  love — you,  dear  child,  gave  up  love 
for  all  humanity,  and  now  we  join  hands  in  the  same 
search  for  the  peace  that  passeth  understanding.  Will 
you  show  me  the  way,  my  little  girl  ?  " 

It  needed  no  words  from  Elsie,  Margaret,  or  Gil- 
bert to  prove  how  heartily  and  gladly  they  welcomed 
the  proffered  aid,  even  as  they  strove  to  recompense 
in  some  measure  the  faltering  and  hungering  spirit  of 
their  benefactress.  With  intuitive  quickness  she  be- 
came one  of  them  in  the  earnestness  of  her  efforts,  and 
the  line  of  distinction  so  often  made  apparent  in  the 
manner  of  those  who  seek  the  welfare  of  the  oppressed 
was  entirely  absent.  Side  by  side  with  Margaret  and 
Elsie  she  walked  among  that  class  of  women  whose 
hands  Herbert  had  said  it  was  pollution  to  touch;  but 
when  she  saw  the  glow  of  appreciation  lighting  up  the 
dulled,  imbruted  faces,  and  heard  the  wails  of  peni- 
tence from  sore  hearts,  and  the  promises  to  gather  up 
the  remnants  of  shattered  lives  and  dedicate  them 
henceforth  to  righteous  living,  she  felt  something  of 
the  joy  of  the  Master  who  thought  it  no  disgrace  to 
eat  with  publicans  and  sinners.  She  was  not  long  in 
following  Gilbert  from  door  to  door  and  inspecting 
the  homes  where,  Gilbert  said,  a  self-respecting  man 
would  be  ashamed  to  house  his  cattle.  The  absolute 
disregard  of  sanitation  in  many  of  these  herding  places 
— for  they  were  little  else — shamed  with  a  burning 
blush  the  boasted  nineteenth-century  civilization.  The 
names  of  the  owners  of  these  tenement  hovels  were 
listed  by  Alice   Houghton  and  found  in  the  majority 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  293 

of  cases  to  be  those  of  men  of  wealth  and  prom- 
inence in  the  community,  who  never  gave  any  thought 
to  their  property  except  as  regarded  its  monthly  in- 
come. Ordering  her  carriage  and  horses  and  dressing 
herself  in  her  finest  raiment,  Alice  presented  herself 
at  the  doors  of  these  men.  Without  any  preliminaries 
she  told  them  of  her  discoveries,  the  deplorable  con- 
dition of  their  tenants,  and  begged  that  something  be 
done  to  improve  their  condition.  Her  handsome  pres- 
ence, her  dress,  equipage,  all  bespeaking  her  a  person 
of  consequence,  she  met  with  the  usual  courtesy  which 
such  externals  command ;  but  in  the  majority  of  cases 
she  was  listened  to  with  that  air  of  constraint  beto- 
kened by  elevated  eyebrows  and  idly  drumming  fingers. 
More  than  once  she  was  given  to  understand,  some- 
times broadly  and  sometimes  indirectly,  that  she  might 
better  be  minding  her  own  business.  For  all  such  she 
had  a  parting  shot  in  saying:  ''  I  am  preparing  for  pub- 
lication in  the  city  press  a  series  of  articles  on  the  con- 
dition of  our  poor.  I  really  hope,  sir,  I  shall  not  be 
compelled  to  include  your  name  in  the  list  of  inhuman 
landlords." 

The  stroke  told,  and  invariably  elicited  a  promise 
of  looking  into  the  matter,  supplemented  with  at  least 
some  slight  attempt  at  repairs.  With  Alice  Houghton 
conspicuous  in  such  work,  society  became  at  once 
interested.  It  might  be  a  delightful  fad  to  investigate 
this  labor  question  and  exploit  one's  charity  in  behalf 
of  these  poor  dear  creatures.  But  whenever  this  de- 
sire was  submitted,  it  met  ignominious  and  instant 
death.     Only  those  who  felt    the  earnestness  of   the 


294  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

work  were  permitted  any  share  in  it.  It  soon  became 
apparent,  however,  that  the  latent  impulses  of  human 
nature,  veneered  as  they  may  be  by  false  ideas  as  to 
wealth  and  social  position,  are  in  the  main  generous 
and  humane  ones.  Under  the  influence  of  Alice 
Houghton  wealth  came  to  the  succor  of  the  newly- 
formed  and  still  chaotic  society.  Gilbert's  reading 
class  became  possessed  of  a  room  for  its  exclusive  use, 
where  all  the  current  periodicals  and  papers  and  some 
of  the  best  books  could  be  found  and  read  by  any  one. 
It  became  a  sort  of  poor  man's  club-room  where  living 
topics  were  discussed,  and  where  twice  a  year  a  ban- 
quet was  given  at  which  the  speeches  and  toasts  em- 
anated from  the  growing  minds  of  those  who  had  risen 
from  the  ranks. 

The  parlors  of  several  well-known  society  ladies 
were  also  thrown  open  once  a  week  to  the  orchestra 
formed  by  Antoine,  but  now  placed  under  the  tutelage 
of  a  more  proficient  master.  The  Mother's  Class,  the 
Daughters  of  the  Carpenter,  and  the  Busy  Fingers 
Club  had  each  a  fund  from  which  to  draw  in  emer- 
gencies, and  better  than  all  else,  it  seemed  to  Gilbert, 
the  five  great  principles  lying  back  of  all  these  efforts 
had  been  submitted  to  a  council  and  a  code  of  rules 
drawn  up  under  the  general  plan,  which  bade  fair  to 
make  the  society  cohesive  and  enduring.  Yet  it  was 
by  no  means  free  from  turbulent  elements,  nor  had  it 
come  to  its  present  prosperity  without  encountering 
many  well-nigh  overwhelming  obstacles.  As  long  as 
human  nature  is  content  to  remain  on  the  low  plane 
of  self-indulgence,  just  so   long  will  every  good  and 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  295 

unselfish  impulse  find  a  bitter  warfare  waged  against 
it,  and  not  every  one  of  those  who  were  to  be  most 
benefited  by  the  movement  was  in  favor  of  it.  There 
seems  to  exist  in  some  natures  a  wolfish  opposition  to 
everything  high  and  holy,  and  Gilbert  had  long  been 
aware,  without  in  the  least  understanding  the  reason, 
that  he  had  incurred  the  enmity  of  one  of  their  num- 
ber known  as  ''Red  Handed  Mike."  If  the  fellow 
possessed  any  patronymic  it  had  long  since  passed  in- 
to oblivion,  and  he  was  known  only  by  his  sobriquet, 
and  feared  accordingly.  Gilbert  had  been  warned 
that  Mike  was  only  waiting  an  opportunity  to  "  make 
it  hot  for  him  " ;  but  thinking  the  threat,  for  lack  of 
cause,  merely  the  idle  boast  of  a  bully,  he  passed  it  un- 
noticed. 

It  was  the  morning  of  a  day  in  early  autumn.  Mar- 
garet was  made  glad  by  the  sight  of  Aunt  Liza  and 
Eph,  who,  climbing  to  her  sky-parlor  with  many  "  oh's" 
and  "  ah's  "  and  rheumatic  squeaks  of  the  joints,  had 
greeted  her  n^ith  the  old-time  effusion  and  affection 
which  absence  had  not  dulled. 

"  I  was  jes  longin'  so  fer  de  sight  ob  your  face,  Miss 
Margaret,  I  couldn't  stay  away  no  longer,  and  Eph 
heah  has  been  a  heap  wuss'n  me,"  exclaimed  Aunt  Liza. 

''Sho!  "  said  Eph,  fumbling  with  his  hat  and  trying 
to  hide  his  feet  under  the  rounds  of  his  chair.  ''  I  only 
jes  wanted  to  tell  yer  we'uns  has  done  a  heap  ob 
savin'  this  heah  summ.er.  Mammy  heah's  got  a  new 
red  gown,  an'  I's  got  a  whole  suit  of  store  clothes, 
and  besides.  Ma'am  Minaud's  banked  money  fo'  us, 
too." 


296  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

"  Well  done  !  "  cried  Margaret.  "  I  couldn't  hear 
better  news." 

"I  knowed  you'd  be  tickled!"  exclaimed  Eph,  de- 
lightedly displaying  a  couple  of  rows  of  ivory  teeth. 
*'  T  done  tol'  mammy  dar  wa'n't  no  use  backshdin'  in 
this  yere  business  when  all  you'uns  had  got  to  be  jes 
perfeck  angels." 

"  Angels  ?  "  queried  Margaret. 

"  Why,  don't  yer  know  we'uns  has  hearn  tell  all  'bout 
de  society  out  to  Idlewild  ?  And  eberybody  done  says 
you'uns  is  saints  and  no  mistake,"  exclaimed  Aunt 
Liza. 

'*  Everybody  is  very  kind,"  said  Margaret  soberly, 
''but  we  are  far  from  saints.  We  are  only  trying  to 
find  the  best  side  of  human  nature." 

"  Yo'  done  it — yo'  done  it  fo'  shuah.  Miss  Margaret !  " 
exclaimed  Eph  excitedly.  "  Yo'  jest  took  us  po'  trash 
and  made  us  'sponsible  bein's,  and  showed  us  how  to 
be  'spectable  if  we  is  brack." 

''  Deed  yo'  did.  Miss  Margaret,"  chimed  in  Aunt 
Liza.  "And  de  bestest  part  ob  it  is,  as  Eph's  a-sayin', 
dar  wa'n't  no  ornery  mission  'bout  it." 

"  I's  jes  been  wonderin'.  Miss  Margaret,"  interrupted 
Eph,  "  eber  since  I  hearn  'bout  Antoine's  singin'  and 
de  way  de  home  meetin's  is  callin'  de  po'  sinners,  ef 
dar's  any  reason  why  mammy  an'  me  couldn't  come 
jes  once,  anyway.  It's  white  folkses'  meetin',  I  know, 
but  I  jes  like  mighty  well  ter  heah  some  ob  Antoine's 
singin'.     Day  do  say  he  jes  'lectrify  de  aujience." 

"  Come  and  welcome,"  said  Margaret,  who  could 
not    forbear  a  smile    at    Eph's  rendering    of   popular 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  297 

phraseology.  "  We  have  room  always  for  those  who 
are  trying  to  find  the  way  up." 

'*  Deed'n  I's  so  glad,  Miss  Margaret,"  said  Aunt  Liza 
effusively.  ''  'Pears  like  sometimes  dey's  a  dreffle  pre- 
jice  'gainst  folks  jes  cause  de  Lawd  made  deir  skin 
brack." 

That  evening,  as  Aunt  Liza  and  Eph  mounted  the 
stairs  of  the  Home  Hall,  as  it  had  come  to  be  called, 
Red  Handed  Mike  stood  in  the  doorway  and  blurted 
out  as   they  passed :  "  We  don't  want  none  o'  them 

d d    niggers  here.     If    Brother  Gib   'lows   'em  to 

stay  I'll  break  up  the  meetin' !  " 

Just  then  Gilbert,  accompanied  by  his  sisters  and 
Alice  Houghton,  entered  the  hall. 

"  Say,"  called  Mike,  ''  do  you  see  them  niggers  ? 
Goln'  to  let  'em  stay  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Gilbert.  "  They  are  friends 
of  ours." 

"  No,  they  hain't,"  growled  Mike.  ''  I  hain't  got  no 
such  devilish  taste  as  that." 

Gilbert  paused  for  a  second,  and  said  quietly  as  he 
faced  the  offender  with  a  steady  glance :  "  I  hope  your 
good  taste  will  prevent  your  making  any  disturbance." 

"  Hush,  Mike !  "  "  Keep  still,  for  God's  sake !  "  whis- 
pered several  of  his  companions  as  he  turned  to  Gil- 
bert threateningly. 

"  Never  fear,  men,"  said  Gilbert  reassuringly.  "  Mike 
knows  this  isn't  any  place  for  a  mill,"  and  without  say- 
ing anything  further  he  passed  on  to  the  platform. 

Under  the  entreaties  of  his  companions  the  bully 
sank  into  a  corner  and  s-ulkily  watched  the  proceed- 


298  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

ings.  A  little  later  Antoine  stepped  to  the  front  of 
the  platform  and  began  one  of  his  inimitable  impro- 
visations. Catching  sight  of  Eph's  interested  face  in 
the  audience,  the  impulse  to  give  a  song  in  negro  dia- 
lect came  over  him  with  irresistible  force.  With 
scarcely  a  moment's  waiting  the  clear  young  voice 
rang  out  in  a  lively  carol. 

' '  What  if  some  troubles  yo'  do  know  ? 
Jes  doan  min'  'em,  let  'em  go  ! 
It  only  makes  de  bigger  hill, 
A-pilin'  up  ob  ebery  ill, 

So  jes  let  trouble  go  ! 

Chorus. 
*  Git  a  HI'  sunshine  in  yo'  heart, 
Whateber  grief  yo's  knowin', 
Git  a  lil'  sunshine  in  yo'  heart, 

An'  set  de  smiles  a-growin'. 

**  De  stranges'  thing  is  when  yo'  smile, 
Yo'  done  forgit  yo'sef  a  while  ! 
Yo'  doan'  no  mo'  remember  pain. 
Till  yo'  forgits  to  smile  again, 

vSo  jes  let  trouble  go  ! 

Eph  s  feet  had  been  strangely  uneasy  during  the 
rendering  of  the  preceding  stanzas,  and  Aunt  Liza 
had  pulled  at  his  coat  and  whispered  warningly  :  ''Doan 
yo'  forgit,  Eph,  dis  yere's  white  folkses'  meetin'.  Dey 
doan  'low  no  shuffle  heah." 

*'  Cain't  help  it,  mammy,"  returned  Eph.  *'  It  do  jes 
go  clar  through  my  toes." 

' '  Dar's  mighty  lil'  dat  we  fm' 
Dat's  like  a  nice  contented  min'  ; 
It  makes  de  worl'  de  fines'  place 
To  lib  dis  side  ob  heabenly  grace  ; 
So  jes  let  trouble  go  ! " 

"  *  Git  a  HI'  sunshine  in  )'o'  heart 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  299 

**Yes  do!"  responded  Eph  fervently. 

"  '  Whateber  grief  yo's  knowin'  ! ' 

"  Neber  min'  it!  Neber  min'  it!"  interposed  Eph, 
growing  more  and  more  excited. 

"  '  Git  a  HI'  sunshine  in  yo'  heart  ! ' 

"  Send  it,  Lawd!  Send  it,  Lawd!  "  cried  Eph,  rock- 
ing to  and  fro,  heedless  of  the  wondering  glances  be- 
stowed upon  him  and  Aunt  Liza's  frantic  clutches  at 
his  coat. 

"  An'  set  de  smiles  a-growin','' 

sang  Antoine's  clear  voice. 

"  Yes,  Lawd,  we  needs  'em !  'Deed  we  does," 
groaned  Eph  half-aloud.  A  wave  of  applause  greeted 
the  singer  as  he  turned  to  leave  the  platform.  It 
swelled  louder  and  louder  and  would  not  be  stilled. 
In  the  midst  of  the  excitement  Eph  half-rose  to  his 
feet  and  called  out :  "  Come  back,  Antoine,  honey !  It's 
jes  like  hearin'  ob  de  angels  sing!" 

Only  Antoine's  instant  compliance  quelled  the  rising 
flood  of  laughter  and  hisses.  Clasping  his  hands  be- 
fore him  and  half  drooping  on  his  crutch  in  the  pa- 
thetic attitude  of  old  age  and  decrepitude,  Antoine 
began  in  a  broken  voice  : 

"  What  ef  my  face  is  old  an'  brack, 
An'  hard  my  han's,  an'  bent  my  back, 
An'  mos'ly  shadows  on  de  way 
Hab  followed  dis  yere  form  ob  clay  ? 
What  ef,  despised  by  brudder  man, 
I  jes  works  on  de  bes'  I  can, 
An'  toilin'  airly,  toilin'  late, 
For  arthly  joys  I's  long  to  wait? 


300  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

I  knows  some  time  dis  face  ob  min' 
As  white  as  Jesus'  robe  will  shine, 
For  He,  oh,  He's  my  Mahstah  ! 

"  O  Jesus,  my  Mahstah  ! 

De  frien'  ob  de  poah, 
Deah  Jesus,  my  Mahstah, 

Yo'  sorrows  will  cuah; 
O  Jesus,  my  Mahstah. 

He's  callin',  I  come  ! 
O  brudder,  my  brudder. 

Why  Stan'  yo'  dar  dumb  ?  " 

There  was  an  unsurpassed  tenderness  and  sweetness 
in  Antoine's  rendition  of  the  words,  and  an  unusual 
hush  fell  upon  the  audience,  which  was  broken  now 
and  then  by  the  audible  sighs  and  incoherent  ejacu- 
lations of  Eph,  and  when,  as  it  seemed  to  Eph's 
agitated  bosom,  Antoine's  voice  soared,  in  its  fresh- 
ness and  simplicity,  to  the  very  verge  of  the  eternal, 
he  could  no  longer  restrain  himself,  but  threw  up 
his  arms  in  an  ecstasy  of  self-abandonment  and 
shouted:  '' I's  comin',  Lawd!  I's  comin' !  I's  heah! 
Take  me,  po'  mis'able  sinnah,  take  me  home  to 
glory!" 

Instantly  all  was  confusion.  Men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren craned  their  necks  for  a  view  of  the  excited  Af- 
rican whom  Aunt  Liza's  frantic  efforts  could  not  calm, 
Eph  had  become  possessed  of  the  *'  power,"  and  was 
deaf  to  his  mother's  intercessions.  "  I's  knowed  it 
long,  Lawd,"  he  moaned.  "  I's  been  a  dreffle  sinnah. 
Jesus,  my  Mahstah,  de  fr'en'  ob  de  poah !  O  Jesus,  my 
Mahstah,  yo'  sorrows  will  cuah " 

"  Come,  Eph,"  said  Gilbert,  who  had  quickly  left  the 
platform.     Eph  rose  at  once,  whispering  as  he  did  so  : 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  301 

"  I  neber  mean  no  harm,  Mars  Gilbert.  I's  jes  a  feel- 
in'  de  force  ob  conviction." 

"  I  know,"  answered  Gilbert  soothingly.  "  Antoine's 
singing  was  evidently  too  much  for  you.  You'll  feel 
better  in  the  open  air." 

"  'Deed  I'll  neber  feel  any  bettah  till  I  knows  de 
Lawd's  forgiben  de  mis'ble  sinnah  Eph  Blackburn  !  I's 
jes  got  to  be  convarted.  Mars  Gilbert." 

Eph  was  growing  excited  again  as  they  neared  the 
door  where  Red  Handed  Mike  stood  among  a  knot  of 
his  fellows.  As  Gilbert  and  Eph  passed  them,  Mike 
exclaimed  in  a  tone  loud  enough  to  be  heard  throucrl- 
out  the  hall :  "  I  told  Brother  Gib  he'd  better  not  let 
them   d d  niggers  in  here." 

Gilbert  turned  and  faced  him.  ''That  is  not  fit 
language  for  this  place,  and  I  don't  want  any  more  of 
it." 

"  You  don't,  eh  ? "  cried  Mike  with  a  sneer.  "  I 
rather  guess  I've  as  good  a  right  to  say  what  I  please 
as  any  d d  nigger." 

"  Leave  the  room  at  once,  or  I  shall  be  compelled 
to  have  you  put  out." 

''You  will  ?  Take  a  little  of  that  first,  won't  you  ?" 
and  drawing  back  the  bully,  flaming  with  passion,  sent 
a  heavy  blow  of  his  fist  into  Gilbert's  face.  With  a 
panther-like  leap  Gilbert  evaded  the  blow,  and  in- 
stantly closed  his  fingers  in  a  vise-like  grip  around  his 
opponent's  throat.  Struggling  and  clutching  with  the 
fierceness  of  a  tiger  at  the  long,  lithe  fingers  closing  in 
upon  his  throat  like  bands  of  steel,  with  his  tongue 
lolling  on  his  chin,  his  face  growing  black,  and  his  eyes 


302  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

starting  from  their  sockets,  Mike  was  forced  by  Gilbert 
against  the  wall,  who  held  him  there  as  he  cried,  "  Call 
the  cops,  boys!  " 

''  Hold  him  fast !  "  "  Bully  for  you,  Brother  Gib  !  " 
'^  Make  him  ax  yer  parding!  "  yelled  the  crowd. 

"  I  shall  some  other  day,"  answered  Gilbert.  "  Just 
now  I'll  keep  my  fingers  on  him  till  the  cops  get  him." 

A  moment  later  "  Red  Handed  Mike,"  crest-fallen 
and  sulky,  was  passed  over  to  the  care  of  a  couple  of 
policemen,  and  Gilbert  turned  to  the  men  who  had 
gathered  around  him  and  said,  with  a  grim  apprecia- 
tion of  its  underlying  humo^: 

''Boys,  I  am  going  to  talk  to  you  to-night  on  the 
beauty  of  peace." 

He  walked  quietly  and  quickly  up  the  aisle,  but  had 
not  yet  mounted  the  platform  when  a  tremendous 
cheer  broke  from  the  audience.  Men  threw  their  hats 
in  the  air,  and  women  waved  their  handkerchiefs  as 
the  story  of  "  the  fighting  parson,"  as  they  then  and 
there  dubbed  him,  passed  from  lip  to  lip. 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  303 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Two  years  passed  by;  years  that  brought  increas- 
ing strength  and  prosperity  to  the  Society  of  Universal 
Brotherhood,  and  gave  it  a  recognized  standing  as  an 
important  factor  in  the  structure  of  social  reform. 
Dealing  primarily  with  the  fundamental  truth  of  hu- 
man relationship,  and  resolutely  adhering  to  the  appli- 
cation of  those  principles  to  all  the  conduct  of  life,  it 
soon  established  a  method  of  reason  which,  if  primi- 
tive, still  satisfied  the  highest  aspirations  of  the 
heart.  In  Red  Handed  Mike  Gilbert  had  won,  after 
long  proof  of  the  value  of  brotherly  kindness  and  for- 
bearance, one  of  his  most  earnest  co-workers,  and  it 
was  no  uncommon  sight  to  behold  the  two  side  by 
side  at  political,  social,  and  semi-religious  gatherings, 
endeavoring  to  promulgate  in  quiet  ways  the  truths 
which  had  become  inherent  parts  of  their  daily  thought 
and  work.  To  Antoine  alone,  of  all  the  members  of 
the  little  circle,  the  years  had  brought  apparent 
change.  Increasing  stature  and  added  health  had 
given  him  greater  comeliness  of  form,  while  the  once 
pale,  thoughtful  face  was  now  enlivened  by  the  glow 
of  color  and  sparkle  of  happiness.  The  parting  of 
Herbert  and  Elsie  had  been  a  great  grief  to  the  lad, 
for  love  and  gratitude  to  both  had  built  in  fancy  a 
glowing  future  for  them.     In  numberless  little  ways 


304  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

he  had  enaeavored  to  show  his  sympathy  and  appre- 
ciation, and  to  Herbert  he  had  taken  to  writing  long 
letters  descriptive  of  the  lives  and  pursuits  of  the  old 
circle;  but  avoiding  with  intuitive  delicacy  any  direct 
reference  to  Elsie.  The  progress  of  the  society  was 
therefore  an  open  book  to  Herbert,  who,  wandering- 
restlessly  over  the  continent  of  Europe,  hungrily 
awaited  the  coming  of  Antoine's  letters  in  the  fond 
hope  of  gleaning  even  in  imagination  some  news  of 
Elsie.  The  two  years  of  his  wanderings  had  been  but 
a  record  of  growing  discontent.  His  prosperous  life 
had  never  before  known  a  serious  rebuff,  and  his  love 
for  Elsie  had  been  the  one  and  only  love  of  his  life. 
Try  as  he  might  in  his  anger  and  disapproval,  he 
could  never  shut  out  the  memory  of  the  dark  eyes  and 
the  piquant  face,  now  sparkling  with  gayety  or  quiver- 
ing with  the  pathos  of  grief.  All  her  little  crudities  of 
speech,  her  high-tragedy  airs,  her  inimitable  mimicry, 
and  her  tender  flower-like  caresses,  dwelt  so  deep  with- 
in his  heart  that  they  were  constant  companions  of  his 
waking  and  sleeping  hours.  He  grew  old  and  irritable 
under  the  pressure  of  grief  and  disappointment,  and 
Helen  Mason  declared  that  "  a  mummy  from  the  Cata- 
combs couldn't  be  more  unsociable."  They  wandered 
together  up  the  Nile,  Herbert  declaring  his  intention 
of  tracing  it  to  its  source  and  joining  Stanley  in  the 
heart  of  the  Dark  Continent. 

"I'm  tired,"  he  said,  "of  civilization,  and  think  of 
returning  to  savagery,  where  '  labor  strikes  '  and 
'bloated  capitalists'  are  unknown  quantities." 

"  I  think  you've  already  reached  that  state,"  Helen 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  305 

retorted,  ''  for  I  live  in  almost  constant  fear  of  hav- 
ing my  head  snapped  off." 

"Well,  since  I'm  so  nearly  on  the  confines  of  canni- 
balism, I  think,  to  insure  your  safety,  we  will  go  back 
to  Paris." 

To  Paris  they  accordingly  directed  their  steps, 
but  the  gay  capital  had  no  attractions  for  Herbert. 
Indeed,  he  was  more  at  peace  lazily  dreaming  in  the 
land  of  the  Pharaohs,  for  in  the  new  republic  he  could 
not  altogether  shut  his  ears  to  the  cry  of  the  people. 
Thought  seemed  to  be  teeming,  even  in  the  effete 
monarchies  of  the  Old  World,  and  when  he  and  Helen, 
in  despair  of  enjoyment  fled  to  the  Russian  capital, 
even  there  nihilism  and  nationalism,  dogged  by  the 
visions  of  Siberian  prisons  and  infuriated  with  the  cry 
of  slaves  in  mine  and  factory,  were  in  the  very  air  they 
breathed.  It  was  in  Russia  that  Herbert  first  set  him- 
self to  studying  the  conditions  so  productive  of  up- 
heaval as  well  as  the  worst  forms  of  human  cruelty. 
To  Helen's  intense  fear  he  took  to  mingling  with  the 
common  people,  and  learning  the  reason  for  the 
scarcely  breathed,  but  only  too  apparent  discontent 
and  rebellion. 

''The  people!  The  people!  Away  with  the  divine 
right  of  kings!"  This  was  the  whispered  shibbo- 
leth of  nihilists  and  nationalists  alike  in  the  courts 
and  wilds  of  Russia,  and  it  swelled  into  a  modu- 
lated but  Vvxll-defined  chorus  along  the  banks  of  the 
Rhine,  until  it  rang  resonant  and  clear  in  the  heart  of 
the  new  republic.  At  home,  abroad,  wherever  he 
journeyed,  the  echo  of  the  world's  suffering  and  de- 
20 


3o6  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

spair  was  sure  to  reach  him.  But  after  all  what  was  it 
to  him  more  than  an  episode  of  history,  interesting  as 
a  study  of  the  conflict  of  ideas,  the  upheavals  by  revo- 
lution and  evolution  ?  What  part  had  he  in  forming 
history,  only  as  one  of  the  many  on  whom  the  mantle 
of  existing  orders  must  inevitably  fall  ?  With  a  good 
deal  of  impatience  he  shook  off  the  obtrusive  question. 
Every  man  must  be  his  own  savior  and  avenger  in  the 
battle  of  existence.  Elsie  herself  had  preached  the 
independence  of  the  individual.  '*  True,"  said  Con- 
science, ''but  did  she  preach  that  alone?  Did  she 
not  also  believe  in  the  fullest  co-operation  as  a  prop 
and  encouragement  to  individual  effort?  Was  not  her 
life  an  epitome  of  the  highest  personal  development, 
morally  at  least,  combined  with  the  most  unselfish  de- 
sire for  the  prosperity  of  others  ?  " 

It  was  a  long  battle  between  a  selfishness  born  of  his 
environment,  as  well  as  what  he  considered  the  inher- 
ent rights  of  individuals  and  classes,  and  conscience  and 
conviction.  But  the  latter  finally  won  the  day,  and 
with  an  eagerness  out  of  all  proportion  to  his  former 
weariness  and  disgust  with  life,  he  set  out  for  Paris 
and  London  with  the  determination  to  investigate  this 
industrial  question  to  its  farthest  limit.  He  was  in 
London  on  that  great  first  of  May,  when  over  two 
millions  of  men  throughout  the  world  laid  down  their 
tools  and  quietly  awaited  the  declaration  of  advancing 
reason.  He  began  to  see  that  the  principle  of  co- 
operation, based,  as  it  must  ever  be,  on  the  simple  lines 
of  equal  opportunity  and  equal  footing  before  the  law, 
held  within  its  embracing  bosom  the  solution  of  many 
of  the  vexed  and  complex  problems  of  sociology.     It 


A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  307 

was  while  in  Paris,  however,  that  he  made  the  vital 
discovery  which  gave  direction  and  concentration  to 
his  study  of  the  industrial  question.  While  rambling 
with  Helen  in  the  purlieus  of  the  great  city,  he  chanced 
upon  a  small  community  of  neat  flower-enveloped  cot- 
tages contiguous  to  an  immense  factory,  and  of  which 
they  were  evidently  a  part.  Inquiry  developed  the 
fact  that  the  little  village  belonged  to  a  manufacturer, 
who  had  organized  a  colony  of  workingmen  on  an  en- 
tirely original  plan,  in  which  their  comfort  was  co- 
ordinate with  the  profits  to  be  gained.  The  cottages 
were  rented  to  men  with  families  at  from  one  dollar  and 
a  half  to  three  dollars  per  month,  with  the  result  that 
after  long  service  they  finally  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
occupants.  The  workingmen  were  insured  against  ac- 
cident, and  their  savings  invested  in  the  works  at  a 
guaranteed  six  per  cent  per  annum.  Work  was  paid 
for  by  the  piece  at  remunerative  wages,  thus  giving 
the  skilled  workman  the  opportunity  to  realize  on  his 
ability,  and  stimulating  the  unskilled  to  greater  activ- 
ity. Imperfect  work  was  rigidly  rejected  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  employee,  thereby  insuring  the  greatest 
carefulness  and  exactness.  The  streets  of  the  little 
village  were  handsomely  paved,  an  ornate  concert  hall 
and  good  school-houses  adding  to  the  attractiveness  of 
the  picture.  The  unmarried  workmen  were  able  to 
secure  comfortable  lodgings  at  three  cents  per  day, 
and  a  restaurant  provided  meals  at  prices  just  paying 
expenses.  Discontent  was  an  unknown  quantity, 
while  rosy-cheeked  children  and  plump  matrons  were 
living  proof  of  the  beneficence  of  the  system.     In  fact. 


308  A   NEW  ARISTOCRACY. 

situations  were  eagerly  sought  after  and  rarely  va- 
cated save  by  death  or  disaster.  The  profits  of  the 
establishment  were  not,  of  course,  enormous,  like  so 
many  similar  institutions  where  human  lives  are  sacri- 
ficed on  the  altar  of  greed;  but  being  moderate  yet 
afforded  a  safe  permanent  investment,  which  was  never 
affected  by  strikes  or  lockouts,  and  which  in  the  zeal 
and  affection  of  the  community  for  its  employer  re- 
lieved the  burden  of  care  and  anxiety  under  which 
capital  so  often  groans  in  less  favored  circles.  After 
weeks  of  investigation,  Herbert  concluded  that  here 
was  the  middle  ground  on  which  capital  and  labor 
must  meet  before  either  can  achieve  an  unbroken  line 
of  progress.  Making  himself  and  Helen  acquainted 
with  the  owner  and  promulgator  of  all  this  thrift  and 
contentment,  and  beholding  him  in  his  charming  home, 
surrounded  by  luxuries,  and  with  his  daily  comings 
and  goings  lighted  by  the  smiles  and  affection  of  his 
people,  Herbert  found  his  own  ambition  fired  to  be 
the  originator  and  center  of  a  similar  community.  He 
realized  that  the  outlay  at  first  would  be  enormous, 
involving  his  whole  fortune,  and  that  the  most  arduous 
and  exacting  labor  would  be  demanded  of  him  in  its 
execution.  But  here  under  the  balmy  skies  of  France 
was  the  living  prosperous  proof  that  business  and  sen- 
timent, so  universally  divorced  by  popular  clamor,  may 
be  united  in  a  harmonious  and  prolific  marriage.  For 
the  first  time  within  the  last  two  years,  Herbert 
dropped  his  taciturnity  and  discussed  the  project  with 
Helen,  who  strangely  enough  had  become  as  infatu- 
ated with  the  little  community  as  had  Herbert  himself. 


A   NEW   x\RISTOCRACY.  309 

"  After  all,  Herbert,"  she  said  plaintively  one  day, 
"  I  believe  having  your  own  way  all  the  time  is  like 
living  on  honey— it  palls  on  the  appetite  very  soon." 

Herbert  glanced  up  quickly.  '*  Are  you  turning  phi- 
lanthropist too  ?  "  he  asked  with  a  touch  of  satire  in 
his  tone 

"  Well,  it  is  in  the  air,"  she  answered  resignedly, 
"and  I  don't  see  how  one  can  help  being  infected." 

''Bravo!  Helen,  you  take  the  disease  charmingly! 
Shall  we  go  back  to  America  to  establish  a  new  Eden  ?  " 

"  On  one  condition,  and  that  is — to  take  me  in  as 
equal  parter." 

'*  My  sweet  sister!"  cried  Herbert  ecstatically  as 
he  sprang  from  his  chair  and  caught  her  around  the 
waist.     "  Do  you  really  mean  it  ?  " 

"Truly;  and,  Herbert,"  and  w^ith  tears  in  the  eyes 
upraised  to  his  she  added  brokenly,  "if — if  that  little 
saint,  Elsie,  Alice  Houghton  writes  me  about,  can  be 
induced " 

"There!"  Herbert's  face  hardened  as  he  placed 
his  hand  on  his  sister's  lips.  "  Say  no  more  on  that 
subject.  I  appreciate  your  generosity,  but  hope  died 
long  ago." 

Two  days  later  they  were  on  the  ocean  homeward 
bound,  and  with  the  zeal  of  new-born  ambition  were 
deep  in  their  project  almost  before  they  returned  the 
greeting  of  their  friends.     Some  two  weeks  after  their 

arrival  the  C Sunday  Herald  contained  a  notice  of 

the  purchase  of  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  northwest- 
ern part  of  the  city,  including  the  subdivision  known 
as  "  Idlewild,"  by  Herbert  Lynn,  Esq.,  who  proposed 


3IO  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

the  erection  of  a  mammoth  shoe  factory  to  be  managed 
after  a  method  which  he  had  investigated  abroad,  and 
beheved  to  be  not  only  the  safest  investment  for  capi 
tal,  but  one  yielding  the  largest  returns  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  philanthropist. 

"  Mr.  Lynn,"  the  article  went  on  to  say,  "  is  the 
pioneer  in  this  form  of  enterprise,  and  feeling  that 
there  is  no  reason  other  than  inexcusable  greed  for 
the  occurrence  of  so  much  idleness,  suffering,  destitu- 
tion, vice,  ignorance,  and  penury  in  so  many  depart- 
ments of  American  labor,  he  proposes  a  plan  of  co- 
operation, now  working  harmoniously  and  profitably 
in  France,  which  will  no  doubt  do  much  toward  solv- 
ing some  vexed  industrial  conflicts." 

Following  this  was  a  short  history  of  the  colony  on 
the  edge  of  Paris  and  its  plan  of  operations.  Elsie 
read  the  article  with  swimming  eyes,  and  impulsively 
kissed  the  insensate  bearer  of  such  good  news.  She 
had  not  seen  Herbert  since  his  return,  and  this  was 
the  first  intimation  of  his  project  which  she  had  re- 
ceived from  any  one.  How  beautiful  the  world  grew 
all  at  once!  How  much  there  was  in  life  to  hope  for, 
work  for,  enjoy!  Suffering  humanity  under  Herbert's 
fostering  care — ah,  how  could  it  be  other  than  happy  ? 
To  live  in  the  light  of  those  sunny  blue  eyes — how  she 
envied  the  prospective  inhabitants  of  that  social  para- 
dise. But  the  weeks  grew  into  months,  and  Herbert 
made  no  effort  to  renew  his  old  standing  in  the  little 
circle.  His  name  was  rarely  mentioned  to  Elsie,  al- 
though she  learned  from  Lizzette  that  he  had  appro- 
priated one  of  the  handsomest  residences  included  in 


A    NEW    ARISTOCRACY.  31I 

his  purchase  of  Idlewild,  and  had  taken  Lizzettc  from 
her  market  gardening  to  preside  over  his  bachelor  es- 
tabHshment.  Voluble  as  Lizzette  had  always  been, 
she  was  now  suspiciously  silent,  unless  she  had  a  bit 
of  gossip  to  offer  regarding  the  interest  taken  in  the 
proposed  work  by  Alice  Houghton.  Antoine,  happy 
as  a  bird  in  the  new  home  and  the  exceptional  prog- 
ress he  was  making  in  music,  took  especial  care  to 
avoid  the  mention  of  Herbert's  name,  although  Elsie 
often  intercepted  a  wistful  glance  of  commiseration 
in  his  dark  eyes.  Why  were  they  all  so  silent  ?  she 
often  asked  her  longing  heart.  Did  they  think  she 
had  no  courage  ?  Did  they  fancy  her  a  Lily  Maid  of 
Astolat  who  needs  must  die  for  love  ?  Well,  they 
should  see  she  could  be  brave  and  work  on  through  a 
long  life,  and  make  no  sign  of  heart-break!  So  Avith 
renewed  earnestness,  never  sparing  a  moment  for 
much-needed  rest,  she  toiled  on,  earning  her  daily  bread 
and  giving  the  helping  hand  to  all  who  needed  it. 
Margaret's  watchful  eyes  noted  with  pain  how  thin 
and  transparent  the  once  rounded  face  was  growing, 
what  an  intent  light  burned  within  the  old  laughter- 
loving  eyes,  and  how  feverish  was  her  application  to 
her  work. 

It  was  a  year  before  the  great  co-operative  shoe 
factory  was  in  running  order,  and  on  the  evening  of 
the  first  day  of  regular  work,  Herbert,  flushed  and 
elated  over  the  promised  success  of  his  plan,  was  driv- 
ing hurriedly  along  the  street,  on  his  way  to  visit 
Helen  and  report  progress.  Glancing  up  suddenly  he 
encountered  the  gaze  of  Elsie's  eyes  as  she  paused  for 


312  A    NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

a  second  on  the  crossing.  Heavens !  How  white 
and  frail  she  looked!  What  caverns  those  great  dark 
eyes  had  grown  to  be  I  Was  she  dying  and  nobody 
to  tell  him  ? 

So  preoccupied  was  he  with  these  hurried  thoughts 
that  he  passed  on,  failing  to  return  the  slight  salutation 
she  had  made.  A  moment  later  he  drew  rein,  but 
Elsie  had  disppeared  from  view.  He  turned  and  fol- 
lowed in  the  direction  she  had  taken,  but  she  was  no- 
where to  be  seen.  He  had  been  working  of  late  like 
the  traditional  galley-slave,  curbing  his  impatience  in 
the  thought  of  the  offering  he  could  one  day  lay  at 
her  feet,  and  now,  like  a  phantom  of  her  old  blithe, 
rosy-cheeked  .self,  she  had  crossed  his  path,  and  the 
dark  eyes  had  seemed  to  speak  the  despairing  words, 
''Too  late!     Too  late!" 

Lashing  his  horse  into  a  white  foam,  in  absolute  de- 
fiance of  the  ordinance  against  fast  driving,  he  rushed 
a  few  moments  later  in  upon  Margaret  with  the  fright- 
ened question : 

"  Where  is  Elsie  ?  Why  has  nobody  told  me  she 
was  dying  ?  " 

The  question  seemed  almost  brutal  in  its  abrupt- 
ness, and  Margaret  staggered  as  if  struck  by  a  blow. 

''  Forgive  me,  Margaret,"  cried  Herbert  piteously. 
''  I  passed  her  just  now,  but  lost  her  again,  looking 
so  frail  and  wan — did  you  not  know?  Have  you  not 
seen  ?  " 

''  Ah,  yes,"  moaned  Margaret.  "  But  I  had  no  medi- 
cine for  a  breaking  heart.  A  spirit  like  hers  soon 
burns  out  the  fires  of  a  frail  body." 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  313 

It  was  some  time  later  that  the  door  opened  sud- 
denly and  Elsie,  pale,  trembling  with  the  exertion 
of  climbing  the  stairs,  and  with  eyes  veiled  in  the 
shadow  of  utter  despair,  stood  on  the  threshold. 

Herbert  was  at  her  side  in  an  instant.  ''  Elsie ! 
Elsie!"  he  cried.  "  Love  is  master.  I've  come  back 
to  you,  strengthened,  purified,  ennobled  at  your  hands. 
Do  not  scorn  the  gift  now.  It  is  richer  than  all  else 
I  ever  offered  you." 

But  Elsie  had  no  answer  to  make.  For  the  first 
time  in  her  life  she  fainted,  and  lay  a  veritable  picture 
of  death  in  Herbert's  arms.  ''Dear  God,"  he  cried, 
"not  this!  Not  now  with  our  work  all  before  us! 
Let  me  keep  her  lest  I  grow  slothful  in  the  service  of 
her  dear  Master!  " 

Down  on  his  knees  beside  the  frail  form,  chafing 
the  thin  hands  and  with  the  tears  chasing  each  other 
in  torrents  over  his  face,  Herbert  knelt,  too  frightened, 
too  heart-broken  to  be  of  any  service  in  Margaret's 
hasty  efforts  at  resuscitation. 

Joy  seldom  kills,  and  Elsie  slowly  came  back  to  life 
and  love  with  the  shadow  of  the  old  smile  on  her  lips. 

"  Herbert,"  she  whispered  as,  still  faint,  but  su- 
premely happy,  she  rested  her  head  on  his  shoulder, 
"  the  old  wilful,  independent  Elsie  is  dead,  and  I  want 
to  prove  to  you  hereafter  how  patient  and  submissive 
I  can  be." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Herbert,  after  one  of  those  elo- 
quent silences  which  "  the  world  that  dearly  loves  a 
lover"  can  readily  interpret — "  well,  then,  I'm  going  to 
take  you  at  your  word ;  for  to-morrow  at  high  noon. 


314  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

in  society  vernacular,  I  shall  be  here  with  license, 
priest,  Helen,  and  all  the  rest  of  us,  prepared  to  hear 
a  very  meek  '  I  will '  from  those  white  lips." 

*'  But  I  have  no  wedding-gown  I  " 

"Put  on  your  best  calico,"  said  Herbert  compos- 
edly. *'  So  long  as  I  can  see  you  wear  that  glad  light  in 
your  eyes  and  the  old  happy  smile  on  your  lips,  I  shall 
always  feel  that  you  are  clothed  in  radiant  attire." 

One  evening  several  days  after  the  wedding,  Gilbert 
came  home  to  Margaret  with  an  inscrutable  smile  on  his 
face.  "  Margaret,"  he  said  composedly,  "  I  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  your  occupation  as  home-maker 
is  about  gone." 

"What  do  you  mean  ?  "  she  cried  aghast. 

"  Well,  Herbert  has  given  me  a  place  in  the  fac- 
tory, and  he  and  Elsie  insist  that  I  make  my  future 
home  with  them.  It  rather  strikes  me  that  you  are 
left  out  in  the  cold  in  consequence." 

Tears  sprang  to  Margaret's  eyes,  and  with  a  heart- 
breaking sob  she  buried  her  head  in  her  arms  as  she 
leaned  against  the  table. 

"  My  dear  sister,"  cried  Gilbert  quickly.  "  My  joke 
is  rather  rough  I'll  admit;  but  I've  a  little  excuse 
for  it."  And  stepping  to  the  hall  door,  he  beckoned 
mysteriously  to  some  one  standing  there.  Margaret 
raised  her  head  apprehensively,  and  saw  Dr.  Ely  with 
smiling  face  standing  upon  the  threshold. 

''Here  is  a  gentleman,"  said  Gilbert  soberly,  "who 
thinks  he  would  like  to  have  a  home  made  for  him." 
And  with  an  ostentatious  bang  to  the  door  he  slipped 
away. 


A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY.  315 


CONCLUSION. 

Of  the  remaining  members  of  the  Httle  circle  there 
are  but  few  words  to  speak.  In  AHce  Houghton  and 
Helen  Mason  the  Society  of  Universal  Brotherhood 
finds  able  coadjutors.  Life  becomes  broader  and 
fairer  to  them  as  they  realize  the  existence  of  a  com- 
mon bond  in  humanity  and  a  universal  creed  of 
brotherly  love. 

Slowly,  but  surely,  the  seed  sown  in  doubt,  darkness, 
'and  tribulation  has  begun  to  bear  fruit,  and  Gilbert, 
the  powerful  leader  of  the  new  movement,  often 
blesses  the  memory  of  the  hours  of  sorrow  and  trial 
which  have  made  these  helping  influences  spring  from 
a  soil  watered  by  tears  and  harrowed  by  privation. 
Antoine's  violin  and  marvellous  gift  of  improvisation 
are  the  delight  of  an  enthusiastic  public,  and  Lizzette's 
brown  face,  with  the  wrinkles  growing  a  little  deeper 
as  the  years  go  by,  wears  a  look  of  supreme  pride  and 
contentment  as  she  comtemplates  his  progress,  A 
cherished  member  of  Herbert's  home,  she  is  at  once 
housekeeper,  friend,  and  companion. 

The  marriage  of  Herbert  and  Elsie  is  one  of  those 
perfect  unions  in  which  oneness  of  spirit,  heart,  and 
effort  keep  an  unbroken  bond.  They  have,  seen  their 
endeavors  paying  them  a  tenfold  increase  in  the  grow- 
ing tide   of   thought    and    prosperity   overtaking   the 


3l6  A   NEW   ARISTOCRACY. 

workingmen  and  women  and  widening  out  into  an  ir- 
resistible current  of  human  kindness.  Children  have 
come  to  them,  endowed  with  the  same  warm,  gener 
ous  natures,  who  are  never  so  happy  as  when  smooth- 
ing a  wrinkle  out  of  papa's  tired  brow,  or  making  a 
dimple  come  in  mamma's  pretty  cheek.  Elsie,  the 
idol  of  her  home,  and  beloved  alike  by  the  prosperous 
circle  of  universal  brotherhood,  and  the  thrifty,  con- 
tented colony  at  Idlewild,  often  delights,  with  children 
clinging  to  her  skirts,  and  a  crowing  baby  perched  on 
Herbert's  shoulder,  half-laughingly,  half-earnestly,  to 
proclaim  him  the  founder  and  father  of  America's 
New  Aristocracy  of  heart  and  brain. 


THE  END. 


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fUU) 


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